Improvements in and relating to Fire Proof Doors.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Fire Proof Doors.
I, JOHN HUNTER MCGROUTHER, 31, Melville Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow,
Master Blacksmith, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to that class of doors employed in buildings to prevent
the progress of Hame during a fire from one portion of the structure to another,
such as the iron doors employed in separating the well of a hoist from the
successive floors through which the hoist travels, or in isolating one apartment
from that adjoining.
The invention relates more particularly to iron or steel doors, and its object
is to prevent the doors from buckling or warping under the influence of the
flame or heat, which renders the provision of such a door ineffectual in many
The invention may also be applied to shutters.
cases.
.
The invention broadly consists in constructing the door of a built up frame
work of sufficient lateral strength to give the necessary support, and in arranging
the said frame work with panel spaces so constructed that loose plates can be
fitted therein with sufficient clearance to allow them to expand when under the
influence of heat or flame, and by this specific construction the expansion of the
metal is provided for as the whole door is not one rigid structure as at present.
In carrying the invention into effect according to one modification as applied
to a door with four panels, the construction, is a follows. Three flat vertical
parallel bars equally spaced and the full height of the door, are placed upon
distance bars which lie between the said vertical bars and three flat horizontal
and parallel bars equally spaced the full width of the door. Placed upon the
distance bars upon the same side as the three horizontal frame bars are six short
vertical frame bars whose ends butt against the sides of the horizontal bars and
whose longitudinal edges are. coincident with the three vertical frame bars
herein before referred to; while placed upon the opposite side of the distance bars
and therefore on the same side as the three long vertical frame bars are six
short horizontal bars whose ends butt against the long vertical frame bars and
whose longitudinal edges are coincident with the three long horizontal bars
hereinbefore referred to.
Distance bars slightly thicker than the plates to be inserted are arranged
between all the horizontal and vertical members of the frame work and the
whole is bolted or rivetted together.
The section of all the members of the frame is identical, but the distance bars
are narrower and they are arranged to come flush with the outer periphery of
the door while allowing the inner portions of the vertical and horizontal
members to overlap. By this construction four panels are provided with vertical

page_text: and horizontal channels and the plates to be inserted are made of slightly less
length breadth and thickness than the four rectangular channeled openings thus
formed.
The top and bottom distance bars of the frame work are not rivetted or bolted
in position untill the panel plates are placed in situ, and it is evident that the
lap of the vertical and horizontal members of the frame work can be made
sufficiently large to allow of the maximum expansion of the plates during a fire
without interfering with their efficiency.
This construction of frame work in so far as it relates to rivetting three long
vertical bars and six short horizontal bars upon one side of a single plate the size
of the door, and three long horizontal and six short vertical bars upon the other
side, is technically known as breaking joint or band" and as the inventor is
aware is well known in the trade, and he lays no claim to it per se; but what
is claimed as new is the construction of a break joint or other frame work rivetted
bolted or otherwise attached to distance bars of any suitable size or section and
forming any number of channeled panels within which loose plates are inserted;
and it is also to be understood that external channels or their equivalents may
form panels for containing the insertion plates, and again that any other suitable
fire proof material or metal in place of iron or steel may be employed without
departing from the subject of the present invention.
Dated thin int
1000
I, JOHN, HUNTER MCGROUTHER, of 31, Melville Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow,
in the County of Renfrew, Master Blacksmith, 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:
-
This invention relates to that class of doors employed in buildings to prevent
the progress of flame during fire from one portion of the structure to another:
such as the iron doons employed in separating the well of a hoist from the
successive floors through which the hoist travels, or in isolating one apartment
from that adjoining. The invention relates more particularly to iron doors, and
its object is to diminish the buckling or warping of the doors under the influence
of the flame or heat.
The invention broadly consists in constructing the doors of a built up frame-
work of sufficient lateral strength to give the necessary support, and in arranging
the said framework with the panel spaces so constructed that loose plates can
be fitted therein with sufficient clearance to allow them to expand when under
the influence of flame or heat: and by this construction the expansion of the
metal is provided for, as the whole door is not one rigid structure as at present.
The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrate several modifications of the
invention as follows:-
Figures 1, 2 and 3, are respectively front elevation, back elevation, and part
transverse section on a y Figure 2 of one modification.
Figure 4, is a part transverse section of another modification.
Figures 5 and 6, are respectively part elevation, and part transverse section of
a third modification.
One method of carrying the invention into effect is illustrated at Figures 1, 2,

page_text: and 3 of the drawings. In this modification three flat vertical bars A equally
spaced and the full height of the door are placed upon distance bars B' which
lie between the bars A and six flat vertical bars E. The distance bars B are
slightly thicker than the plates D hereinafter referred to, and the bars A, B,
and E are fitted together, by bolts rivets or other suitable fastenings. Upon the
same side as the vertical bars A (shown in Figure 1) and upon horizontal distance
bars F are placed six short horizontal bars G whose ends butt against the said
vertical bars A. Upon the opposite side of the door (as shown in Figure 2) and
upon the distance bars F three horizontal bars C the full width of the door are
placed. Thus distance pieces or bars B and F are arranged between all the
horizontal and vertical members of the framework as already described, and the
whole frame is rivetted or bolted together.
The section of all the members of the framework is identical, but the distance
pieces or bars B and F are narrower in width, though one edge is arranged to
come flush with the outer periphery or edge of the door, while the other edges
come a certain distance, say a (see Figure 1) short of all the inner edges of the
members. By this means four panels are provided with vertical and horizontal
channels, and plates D made of slightly less length breadth and thickness than
the panel spaces thus produced are inserted. The top and bottom distance pieces
of the framework are not rivetted or bolted into position until the panel plates D
have been placed in situ, and it is evident that the lap of the horizontal members
of the framework can be made sufficiently large to allow of the maximum
expansion of the plates during a fire without interfering with their efficiency.
The modification shown in Figure 4 of the drawing is a somewhat similar
arrangement, the only difference in this case being that the panel plates vertical
and horizontal members and distance pieces are constructed in two or more
layers. Figure 4 illustrates the panel D¹, distance piece F¹ and horizontal
members G and C¹ arranged in two layers.
The modification shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings consists in dis-
pensing with vertical and horizontal distance bars to allow the panels or plates D²
to extend right to the edges of the door so as to present a continuous surface all
round. To allow for the fastening of these plates in position and at the same
time to allow for expansion, slotted holes H may be made to receive the rivets I
and distance washers J or their equivalents to provide for the thickness of the
panels D².
The applicant is well aware that the method described with regard to the first
modification of rivetting three vertical bars and six horizontal bars on one side
of the door and three horizontal bars and six short vertical bars on the other
side is well known to the trade as "breaking joint" and the applicant lays no
claim to this construction per se, but what he considers as new in the construction
of all the modifications is the arrangement of a "breaking joint" or any other
framework in such a manner as to provide panels within which loose plates can
be inserted in the manner described.
It is to be clearly understood that the applicant does not expect to fully over-
come buckling but only to reduce it.
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. In fire proof doors or similar structures providing a lateral framework of
the "breaking joint" or other type with suitable recesses to receive respectively
loose or moveable panels to form the remainder of the door, and all as a means
for allowing the individual expansion of the door panels and thus minimizing the
buckling of the whole structure when in a fire.
2. In fire proof doors or similar structures arranging the "breaking joint" or
other framework in layers to contain the loose or moveable panels in layers sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4 of the drawings.

page_text: 3. In fire proof doors or similar structures arranging the panel or panels to
extend completely to the edges of the door and to allow for the movement or
expansion of the panels by means of slot holes and distance washers substantially
as herein before described and illustrated with reference to Figures 5 and 6 in
the drawings.
JOHN H. McGROUTHER,
31, Melville Street, Pollokshields, Glasgow.