Dave Bender
Member
We use high-speed fabric doors for fork truck operations, combined with steel fire doors for wall rating, between production rooms and traffic corridors.
At last code review we were told to provide flame spread rating for the fabric door as interior wall finish per IBC Sec 803.1.
I can't really disagree with his logic, due to fabric exposure on one side or the other of the separation wall.
I have checked with supplier, manufacturer, door manufacturers association, other engineers/architects, other jurisdictions, and FM.
Used all over the place, but no one has had this come up.
I have not been able to find a manufacturer that tests or rates their high-speed doors for this.
We are looking for variance, precedent, justification why this has not been addressed anywhere else.
Meanwhile, we are also pursuing ASTM testing with manufacturer (Rite-Hite, Fastrax-XL door) as last resort.
I expect them to be reluctant to do this - no test keeps the status quo, failed test will make them stick out.
Advice?
At last code review we were told to provide flame spread rating for the fabric door as interior wall finish per IBC Sec 803.1.
I can't really disagree with his logic, due to fabric exposure on one side or the other of the separation wall.
I have checked with supplier, manufacturer, door manufacturers association, other engineers/architects, other jurisdictions, and FM.
Used all over the place, but no one has had this come up.
I have not been able to find a manufacturer that tests or rates their high-speed doors for this.
We are looking for variance, precedent, justification why this has not been addressed anywhere else.
Meanwhile, we are also pursuing ASTM testing with manufacturer (Rite-Hite, Fastrax-XL door) as last resort.
I expect them to be reluctant to do this - no test keeps the status quo, failed test will make them stick out.
Advice?