FIRE PERFORMANCE OF TIMBER DOOR FRAMES

Currently, only solid timber door frames of balau, keranji and chengal are used in fire-rated doorsets. This study evaluated if finger-jointed and laminated timber, as well as other heavy timbers could be used. The fire performance of door frames made of balau, keranji, red balau, kekatong and kempas were investigated. Four profiles of door frames were made: solid wood; finger-jointed; finger-jointed + face-wise laminated and finger-jointed + edge-wise laminated. The fire performance tests were conducted using a 3 m × 3 m gas furnace in accordance to MS 1073. Only door frames were evaluated and a standard panel was installed in place of the door leaf. For balau, red balau, kekatong and kempas, there was no significant difference in the fire performance of the different door frames. However, for keranji, the fire performance for solid door frame was significantly lower than finger-jointed + edge-wise laminated and finger-jointed frames. The results indicated that finger-jointed + laminated and finger-jointed door frames performed equally well or better than the solid frames.