Fire door

Abstract

Improved fire door assemblies comprise a door frame having structural elements defining an opening, and a door sized to fit into the frame and occlude the opening. Generally, the door can further comprise a top member, a first layer of insulation material positioned along a bottom surface of the door and a support structure connected to the first layer of insulation material. Due to the design of the support structure and the first insulation layer, direct contact between the support structure and the door frame is reduced or eliminated, which can reduce heat transfer pathways between the door frame and the door. In some embodiments, a second insulation layer can be oriented towards the top surface of the door. In these embodiments, the support structure can hold the first insulation layer in a fixed position relative to the second layer of insulation material such that a gap is located between the first layer of insulation material and the second layer of insulation material.

1 . A fire rated floor door assembly comprising: 
 a door frame comprising structural elements defining an opening;    a door sized to fit into the frame and occlude the opening, the door comprising: 
 a top member configured to have a selected orientation in a closed configuration with the door engaging the frame;  
 a first layer of insulation material positioned along the bottom surface of the door; and  
 a support structure connected to the first layer of insulation to hold the first layer of insulation in a fixed position that is spaced apart relative to the top member, wherein the first layer of insulation material engages the frame in the closed configuration without any contact between the support structure and the frame.  
   
   
   
       2 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the support structure comprises a support member attached to and extending away from the top member.  
   
   
       3 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 2  wherein the support structure further comprises an angle structure having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein the vertical component is connected to the support member.  
   
   
       4 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 3  wherein the first layer of insulation material is connected to the horizontal component of the angle structure.  
   
   
       5 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the first layer of insulation material comprises a plurality of layers of insulation coupled together.  
   
   
       6 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 5  wherein the layer of insulation closest to the top member is connected to the support structure.  
   
   
       7 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 5  wherein the plurality of layers are coupled together by a plurality of fasteners, wherein the fasteners are aligned such that no contact exists between the plurality of fasteners and the support structure.  
   
   
       8 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the first layer of insulation material is selected from the group consisting of an endothermic blanket material comprising ceramic fibers having bound water molecules located within the ceramic fibers, non-woven mineral fibers, non-woven mineral fibers impregnated with fiberglass, fiber board and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       9 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 8  wherein the endothermic blanket material comprises Interam™ E-5A material.  
   
   
       10 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the door further comprises a top surface and wherein a second layer of insulation material is oriented towards the top surface.  
   
   
       11 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 10  wherein the second layer of insulation material is selected from the group consisting of intumescent materials, endothermic blanket materials, non-woven mineral fibers impregnated with fiberglass, fiber board, mineral wool, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       12 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 11  wherein the non-woven mineral fibers impregnated with fiberglass comprise a 3M® duct wrap material.  
   
   
       13 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 10  wherein the support structure holds the first layer of insulation in a fixed position relative to the second layer of insulation such that a gap exists between the first layer of insulation and the second layer of insulation.  
   
   
       14 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the frame comprises aluminum, an alloy of aluminum or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       15 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the top member comprises aluminum, an alloy of aluminum or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       16 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  wherein the bottom surface of the door is formed by the first layer of insulation material.  
   
   
       17 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 1  further comprises a layer of cement surrounding and extending under the door frame such that the cement layer insulates the support structure.  
   
   
       18 . A fire rated floor door assembly comprising: 
 a door frame comprising structural elements defining an opening;    a door sized to fit into the frame and occlude the opening, the door having a top surface and a bottom surface, the door comprising: 
 a first layer of insulation material oriented towards the bottom surface of the door;  
 a second layer of insulation material oriented towards the top surface of the door; and  
 a support structure connected to the first layer of insulation material to hold the first layer of insulation material in a fixed position relative to the second layer of insulation material such that a gap exists between the first layer of insulating material and the second layer of insulating material.  
   
   
   
       19 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 18  wherein the top surface of the door is formed by a top member.  
   
   
       20 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 19  wherein the support structure comprises a support member attached to and extending away from the top member.  
   
   
       21 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 20  wherein the support structure further comprises an angle structure having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein the vertical component is connected to the support member.  
   
   
       22 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 21  wherein the first layer of insulation material is connected to the horizontal component of the angle structure.  
   
   
       23 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 21  wherein a layer of concrete surrounds and extends under the frame such that angle structure is insulated by the layer of concrete.  
   
   
       24 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 18  wherein the first layer of insulation material comprises a plurality of layers of insulation coupled together.  
   
   
       25 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 18  wherein the first layer of insulation material is selected from the group consisting of an endothermic blanket material comprising ceramic fibers having bound water molecules located within the ceramic fibers, non-woven mineral fibers, non-woven mineral fibers impregnated with fiberglass, fiber board and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       26 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 25  wherein the endothermic blanket material comprises Interam™ E-5A material.  
   
   
       27 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 18  wherein the second layer of insulation material is selected from the group consisting of intumescent materials, endothermic blanket materials, non-woven mineral fibers impregnated with fiberglass, fiber board, mineral wool and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       28 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 27  wherein the non-woven mineral fibers impregnated with fiberglass comprise a 3M® duct wrap material.  
   
   
       29 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 18  wherein the door frame comprise a metal, a metal alloy or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       30 . The fire rated floor door assembly of  claim 18  wherein the bottom surface of the door is formed by the first layer of insulation material.  
   
   
       31 . A method of reducing the spread of fire through an opening comprising: 
 providing a fire door assembly sized to occlude the opening, wherein the fire door assembly comprises a door frame and a door, and wherein the door comprises a first layer of insulation material connected to a support structure such that the no contact exists between the support structure and the frame when the door is in a closed configuration.    
   
   
       32 . A fire rated door assembly comprising: 
 a door frame adapted to fit onto a floor surface, the door frame having structural elements defining an opening;    a door sized to fit into the frame and to selectively occlude the opening, the door comprising a top surface, a bottom surface and an endothermic blanket material positioned along the bottom surface of the fire door to reduce heat transfer from the bottom surface to the top surface.