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Strebord fire door still fit for purpose a million openings later!

Falcon Panel Products has recently added to the wealth of certification it holds for its Strebord product range by achieving certification under the BM TRADA Q-Mark ‘Enhanced Lifetime Performance of Doors’ certification scheme.

As part of the certification process, the Strebord product was subjected to a one million cycle test successfully achieving a class 8 performance under the standard. This achievement once again demonstrates the durability of Strebord.

Key ironmongery elements used for the cycle test included a Winkhaus AV2 lock. This piece of hardware which is capable of meeting the requirements of ‘Secured by Design’ excelled when put to the test, clearly demonstrating its life cycle performance within a Strebord door core. The test was conducted with Falcon’s standard 44mm core, whilst the fixings utilised were all as boxed and the leaf was produced by a third party manufacturer who produced the doorset to their standard production procedures.

Mark Percival of Falcon Panel Products comments ‘By adding this extension to the Strebord scope and adding the BM TRADA Q-Mark Enhanced Lifetime Performance certification we are demonstrating to the market the strength and durability of the Strebord product and reinforcing its position as a market leading brand. Falcon Panel Products is the only company that complies and holds this certification. Our approach is one of responsible and assured supply’.

Not content with achieving the above, the said doorset was then removed from the BM TRADA testing rig and further subjected to a 30 minute fire resistance test to BS EN 1634-1. The objective of the test was to see if the door could still prevent the spread of fire after years of continuous operation. Could it still perform the task it was originally designed for? The answer was yes, with the product maintaining integrity for a full 48 minutes before it ceased to satisfy the testing criteria. The leaf was unlatched, opening into the furnace, this being the most onerous configuration.

The results clearly demonstrated the ability of the Strebord product to continue to meet its requirements as a fire door even after years in daily use. The fact that the product successfully met the requirements of BS EN 1634-1 also paves the way for the product to meet the requirements for CE Marking when it becomes a mandatory requirement, possibly as early as mid-2015.

For further information, go to www.falconpp.co.uk