The testing included both a large missile test, and small missile test. This specification covers exterior windows, glazed curtain walls, doors and impact protective systems used in buildings located in geographic regions that are exposed to hurricanes or windborne debris. The assembly must satisfy the pass/fail criteria established by the specifying authority, which may allow damage such as deformation, deflection, or glass breakage.
During this test, a door is first subjected to specified missile impact(s) followed by the application of a specified number of cycles of positive and negative static pressure.
Standard test method for impact-resistant performance of exterior windows, curtain walls, doors and impact protective systems based on positive and negative design pressure(s). More About Testing Standards: ASTM E1886 & FBC TAS 203: To search the Miami-Dade database use this link. See page 3 for more information on testing standards for door components. Generally, the standards are more restrictive than the Florida Product Approval requirements.
Manufacturers must submit construction products for certification and/or testing separately from a Florida Building Code approval. Miami-Dade County is located in the highest wind zone area in Florida, and has developed standards to protect buildings from those hazards.
What is Miami-Dade County, Florida Approval? To search the Florida Product Approval database, use this link. To obtain approval to be used in buildings in these zones, products used in construction must go through an approval process that may include product testing or other method of verifying suitability for the application intended.
Vison lites and door louvers must pass the tests without penetration by the missile and remain in their frames without a tear or crack that exceeds the test specification requirements.īecause buildings in the state of Florida are subjected to extreme weather in the form of hurricanes, they have developed stringent codes for building types in each of their high wind zones. In addition, air leakage and water penetration are measured under static and/or differential pressure conditions. Test results are shown as an impact rating, missile level and pounds per square foot rating. How are Door Components Tested?Īn approved, independent testing agency performs these tests which include a missile propulsion device, an air pressure system, and a test chamber to model some conditions which may be representative of windborne debris and pressures in a windstorm environment.ĭoor components must pass impact-resistance testing in which the door is subjected to both large and small missiles. These test methods are applicable to the design of the entire door assembly, their installation and ability to remain unbreached during a windstorm. The fully-assembled unit - door, vision frame with glazing or louver must be tested as a whole, not just the components. Internal pressurization has the potential to cause even more damage when the wall of a building is breached by wind, causing the internal pressure in the building to increase, resulting in outward acting pressure on the other walls and the roof.Īll components of doors rated to withstand hurricanes must pass one or more tests and be properly labelled with information on the certification. Cyclic pressure can occur both before and after impact by windborne debris and all of the building components, including the door assembly must be able to endure both sustained winds and gusts in a windstorm.Īlthough hurricanes are not a sudden event like a tornado, the building envelope needs to protect the building’s contents from the damaging effects of continued wind and rain. In Florida, for example, different wind zone maps are used depending on the risk category of structures.īuildings do not just have to resist a steady wind, but must also hold up to the fluctuation of pressures both positive and negative called cyclic pressure. Wind zone maps from the National Weather Service and documents from the American Society of Civil Engineers, have been used to formulate building codes that can withstand these type of weather events. Buildings in hurricane zones are designed to withstand wind speeds based on a specific geographic location and probabilities of occurrence.