Improvements in Fire Proof Doors and Frames.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fire Proof Doors and Frames.
I, ALPHONSE DE MAN, of 223, Park Street, in the City of Detroit, County of
Wayne and State of Michigan, United States of America, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of fire-proof doors adapted to prevent
the spread of fire in buildings from one compartment to another and it is the
object of my invention to obtain a construction of non-combustible wooden
doors and door frames therefor, which will have the same external appearance
as the ordinary wooden doors and thus will harmonize with the rest of the
interior finish of the building.
My invention consists in the construction of doors and door frames, each com-
prising a wooden core, which is insulated by being entirely surrounded with
a fire proof sheeting, and is provided with an exterior facing of thin wood or
veneer which may be finished in any suitable manner to correspond with the
other woodwork.
More in detail the construction which I preferably employ is as follows; the
core for the door is preferably framed with flush panels to a suitable size and
is then covered on both faces and all edges with fire proof sheeting, which may
be glued or otherwise secured thereto. Both sides are then covered by facings
of thin wood or veneer which may also be secured by glue and if desired framed
and panelled to have the usual appearance. These facings project beyond
the edges of the core and in the grooves formed between them are placed thin
strips of wood which when secured in position cover all edges of the core.
For the door frames, I may employ à common wooden frame made to fit as
nearly as possible the opening in the wall, which frame is then insulated by
being completely surrounded by fire proof sheeting similar to the cover of the
door, or if desired the four pieces composing the frame may be independently
insulated and then secured together. The inside faces of the jambs and the head
of this frame are covered with veneer or thin strip of wood to correspond with
the finish of the door and the sill is vencered with a threshold corresponding
with the floor.
The door may be secured to the frame by the ordinary hinges which are set
in the edge strips of the door and frame and thus do not cut through the insula-
tion of the core. These edge strips also provide for the necessary fitting of
door to frame without disturbing the insulation of the core and I deem them
an important feature of my construction.
When a fire occurs in a building provided with doors of my construction it
will be impossible for it to penetrate further than through the facings of the
door and frame as the cores being completely insulated by the fire proof sheet-
ing which excludes all air for combustion cannot burn,
!

page_text: Thus if the walls and floors are fire proof, the fire must be confined to the
compartment in which it starts.
Dated the 23rd day of February 1898
ALPHONSE DE MAN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45; Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
←
I, ALPHONSE DE MAN, of 223, Park Street, in the City of Detroit, County of
of Michigan, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention consists in the peculiar construction of fire resisting doors and
door frames.
In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a frame trimmed and a door with
horizontal panels of ordinary design; a portion in the center being left out,
shown by broken lines.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door opening, showing the door and the
position of the frame in the wall, and its connection with extension jambs and
trim; also how the fire protected core, which runs all around the opening con-
nects with the floor, the threshold lapping over the joint.
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the door opening and the relative parts
as specified in Figure 2, showing the door partly open.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section showing an enlarged detail of the door frame,
with insulated core and filling between it and the wall, the veneer jamb and
its connection with the trim, also a portion of the door partly open.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged section through one corner of the door frame. A repre-
sents the wall, with the door opening. B represents a horizontal section through
the jambs of the core for the door frame. B₁ is the head and B2 is the sill.
This core forms a complete frame of common wood and it should fill the opening
in the wall. This core is entirely wrapped around with fireproof sheeting C,
such as asbestos or sheet metal, which is preferably glued with fireproof paste
so as to exclude the air from the wood.
D is the face jamb, preferably rabbetted out very thin at E, or this may be
formed of an independent strip up to dotted line e.
F is the threshold veneered on the protected sill 12. G is the extension
jamb; H is the trim; I represents core of the door.
J represents the door facing. There are two of them to each complete door,
applied on each side of the core; the wood and design of facing to match the
finish of the room in which they show.
Kis the thin strip which is glued in the groove formed by the rabbetted edges
of the door facing, concealing the edge of the protected core.
L shows the hinges with screws penetrating the cores of the frame and the
door. M is the floor; N is the fire-proof filling.
The object of my invention is to make wooden frames and doors to resist fire,
- to such an extent that they will be able to confine a fire to the room where it
originates and will not permit it to break through the opening which they
protect until after several hours of the most severe fire which can possibly
develop in a room.

page_text: My invention consists in introducing in the construction of wooden frames
and doors, a core or body entirely insulated with fire-proof sheeting, rendering
the same impenetrable to the blaze and the air, consequently preventing its
combustion. This is obtained for the door by making a common wooden
frame B, the outside of which fits as near as practicable the opening in the wall A,
and the inside of which fits very nearly the size of the door on all sides, in-
cluding the bottom; the surface of this frame B B₁ B is entirely covered with
a fireproof sheeting C, making it as airtight as possible.
The inside face of the jamb and head 13 of this frame is veneered with a
wood jamb D, to correspond with the finish of the door, the sill B2 being veneered
with a threshold F to correspond with the floor. The sizes of the door and
frame should be so arranged so as to leave very little wood at the rabbet E of the
jamb, between the finished size of the door, and the fireproof sheeting of the
frame, say ½ inch. This frame when in place must be well anchored to the wall
and all holes between the outside of it and the wall must be well stopped with
fireproof material N, then the trim H can be put on up to the rabbet strip E,
and it conceals entirely the fireproof core; the thin material conceals the fire
protected sill.
The door has also a wooden core I, covered on the two faces and all edges
with fireproof sheeting, insulating it completely. On each side of this core a
thin door facing J, is veneered right on the fireproof sheeting and firmly secured
to the insulated core. These door facings are a trifle larger than the core, pro-
jecting on all edges say one quarter of an inch; this projection is, however,
rabbetted down flush with the fire proof sheeting up to half of the thickness of
the two door facings, thus leaving a groove all around the edge of the door
and a thin strip K of the same kind of wood as the outside of the door is
veneered in this groove, concealing entirely the core at the edges of the door.
The size of the door is to be so regulated as to require very little fitting to go
into the rabbet of the frame. The thin wood strip E veneered on the core at
the rabbet of the jam and the strip K on the edge of the core of the door will
admit of a first and some subsequent fitting, should it be required, through
the swelling of the parts or the settling of building. It will also admit the
letting in of hinges and striking plates without damaging the fire proof sheet-
ing of the cores.
In case the door would have to stand the fire in a room after the thin facing
on the door and the veneer and trim of the frame would burn off the protected
cores of the door, the frame would hold the fire for hours and it would take a
long time for the two thin strips of protected wood in the rabbet to burn
through, but if it is found necessary these quarter inch strips could be treated
with some fire protecting preparation which would then prevent the fire from
cating through the narrow space. The screws of the hinges penetrate the fire
protected core of the door and frame, so the door would be held in place as
long as the cores are not destroyed.
In some special cases the fire-proof sheeting can be a metallic sheet, and the
appearance of a panel door is obtained by planting on the metallic sheet, thin
strips representing the stiles and rails of the door.
The fire-proof sheeting which I preferably employ consists of asbestos sheet-
ing, which I select on account of its porous and penetrable nature. Thus slow
evaporation can take place through the pores of the sheeting which prevents
dry rot of the wooden core, and the nails or screws employed to secure the
constituent parts together can easily be driven through the intervening
sheeting. I do not however limit myself to this material as sheet metal may be
employed when the wood is thoroughly seasoned.
It will be observed that where the body (as distinguished from the finish) of
the structure is composed of two or more parts, as for example, the door frame,
cach part is completely surrounded with the protecting sheeting so as to form

page_text: a double course of insulating material at the point of contact. This forms an
additional safeguard preventing fire from passing from one member to another.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The construction of fire resisting wooden door and door frame herein shown
and described.
2. The construction of fire-resisting wooden door herein shown and described.
Dated this 22nd day of November 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Ägents for the Applicant.