Hinge Position on Doors.

[Notch7]

Why is the 'third' hinge often not in the centre of the door? Offset the tendency to pull out at the top?

Ta.

It's specified for doors with closures......usually seen on office doors with a vision panel, which are quite often FD60 1 hour fire doors.


The most likely point of failure on a heavy door is pull out of screws in top hinge - because that's where the greatest load is.

Door hinge screws are under very little shear load as the hinges rest on the cut outs.

The bottom hinge screws are mostly in tension.


For timber doors I've always done 150mm down, 200mm up and one half between hinges.

 

[^woody^]

AllI can say is that your Tudor brothers didn't have either door closers or fire inspectors to deal with!

The doors of yore, more massive, heavy, wide than any of today's, put more strain on any hinge than any closer does on any current door. The principles are exactly the same, so if a castle door worked adequately with a middle hinge, there is no way that a little fire door wouldn't.

Tell that to a fire door inspector

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The principles are exactly the same, so if a castle door worked adequately with a middle hinge, there is no way that a little fire door wouldn't.

The principle of leverage hasn't changed, either - castle doors are hung on long strap hinges with clenched nails securing them across the face of the door whereas modern doors are often on 4in/100mm butt hinges with 1-1/4in screws. So no difference at all, is there?

BTW having worked on interior fit-out quite a bit I have seen doors torn off the single top hinge where the closer is still attached more than a few times. Doesn't seem to happen when you have a third hinge either at the top or in the middle. And as I said before - these doors are specced, often by either an architect or some form of building engineer.

 

[lynchnigel]

Just a thought - the hinge position being multiples of the 3 inch hinge size. So even if you forget your tape measure (and for the donuts) you could work it out.
How did those without tape measure (and the donuts) work out where those stonking hinges went?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Folding 3ft box rule? S'obverous, innit?