Successful fire test 56dB conform CE

Alara-Lukagro always kept the philosophy not to create fire resistant doors and acoustic doors, but fire resistant acoustic doors. This means several internal variations have been tested with respect to fire-safety. On the 9^th of October 2018, we have conducted the most challenging test in this series at the fire-safety laboratory of Peutz in the Netherlands.

Acoustic doors are heavy. The thick steel can curve severely under thermal stresses. The forces that are in play have so far been dealt with by the supporting structure, through the usage of an internal locking rod. In fires horizontal stresses in the supporting structure increased the risk of collapse. The special locking rock limited the choices of locks. Alara-Lukagro came up with a unique solution, that no longer distributes horizontal forces through the supporting structure. This we have long believed to be the holy grail in safety doors development. While at the same time the freedom of internal structures is at the highest level that we aimed for.

It was not the first test. In March 2018, the first successful test was conducted on a single leaf door of 2.8 by 1.4 m in France. This was not an official test, but it proved the concept.  Legislation (extended application) forced to choose to conduct the certification test on a double leaf door set. This test is for this specific concept easier than what we have proven in France. However this official result is a huge step in the development of safety doors.

We can now create acoustic doors with a Rw value of 56 dB while being fire-resistant according to CE with a single locking point. This gives a huge degree of freedom with respect to access control and cost savings. The adjusted doors will be available soon in EI₁ 60 and EW 90.