Halspan door ... set for testing.
Halspan’s doors can take the heat
01 March 2009
DOORS manufactured by Halspan Limited, a leading UK-based provider of timber-based fire door products, have undergone a number of tests to successfully demonstrate their performance throughout their service life.
The tests were conducted in partnership with Chiltern International Fire (CIF).
During the test, a Halspan timber fire door was subjected to 500,000 opening and closing cycles to simulate real life conditions, equivalent to a busy hospital environment, under BS EN 1191:20001.
“Impressively, it achieved Class 8 (heavy duty) under the classification standard BS EN 14600:20052,” says Mark Cummings, fire resistance section head at CIF.
The testing was carried out by CIF subsidiary Chiltern Dynamics.
The same door then underwent fire resistance testing to BS 476-22:19873 in CIF’s new vertical fire resistance test furnace and comfortably outperformed the 30 minutes’ fire resistance target set.
During the cyclical testing, the door had dropped in places, but this was carefully measured and the door gaps recreated in the fire test. Also, the door was set to open inward towards the fire, making the test even more onerous – yet it still passed, he says.
“Halspan wanted us to devise a tough test matrix for its doors, to demonstrate to specifiers that they could have total confidence in the product’s performance, even in high-traffic conditions such as schools and hospitals. The test results show that even after heavy usage, the fire doors are expected to do what they have been designed to do — help save lives,” says Cummings.
Halspan’s product development manager Chris Houchen comments: “This new test will ensure that Halspan remains at the forefront of testing and product development. We work with Chiltern Dynamics and Chiltern International Fire because they understand that we want to continually push the boundaries of product performance, backed up by hard test evidence.”
Established over a decade ago, Halspan very quickly built up a reputation for innovation. Firstly, it developed an entirely new way of making doors – using door blanks made from three-layer particleboards. It also claims to have been the first company to offer a full range of pre-tested timber door systems for fabrication under licence by door manufacturers.
Since then, it has stayed firmly at the forefront of the industry, continually exploring, developing, and testing new products to national and international standards and to suit the changing demands for buildings and the environment.
With more than 30 years experience, Chiltern International Fire is one of Europe’s leading authorities on fire, providing a range of services to clients around the world. Its services include consultancy, research, training and testing to British, European and international standards.
In addition, it offers fire risk assessments, fire safety audits, upgrading and assessment of fire performance and expert witness. All major tests are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The company also offers a first-class facility for positive pressure ventilation (PPV), breathing apparatus (BA) and compartment fire behaviour training for fire services personnel, as well as outdoor exercises and drills. The company is part of the BM Trada Group.
Chiltern International Fire and Chiltern Dynamics provide a comprehensive range of services to prove the performance of buildings and their components. These include energy services comprising air-tightness testing and thermographic inspection of buildings, plus thermal analysis and air permeability testing of building products; product services, entailing testing and approval of building products for fire, security, thermal, weather, service life and strength; and fire safety services such as fire risk assessment, consultancy, testing/approvals, research, expert witness and training.
- Hilti rises to challenge of a tall order
- Compartmentation key to containing fires
- Halspan’s doors can take the heat
