What Are the Effects of Blast on Fire Rated Doors?

For a long time, companies that designed protective barriers such as walls and doors focused primarily on the risk of fire. With the increasing threat of terrorism, these companies have upped their game by designing and developing blast walls to address these new deadly threats. Just as the name implies, these walls protect from blast pressures and flying fragments. Today, it is common to see these types of walls at various government buildings, as well as businesses part of the public and private sector. The new blast wall design not only protects people, assets, and buildings from flying debris but also from the spread of fire as a result of the detonated explosive. Excellent Protective Capabilities For a better understanding of the effect of a blast on a blast wall, consider one of the top designs and its capabilities. This high protective wall helps limit the damage done by the initial explosion followed by any airborne debris from a terrorist attack. For this product and an excellent blast door, the maker simulated a car bomb by exploding 440 pounds of TNT just 22 yards from the two barriers. While there was some damage, it was minimal. After the blast, the door still worked. When you consider the power of 440 pounds of TNT, the fact that both the door and wall sustained only minor damage speaks volumes as to the level of protection. If a blast barrier can handle that type of explosion, in a real-life event, it would have saved a lot of lives. No one likes to think that a terrorist attack could happen close by but it is already taking place throughout North America. For the protection of your employees, business property, assets, and infrastructure, it is essential to invest in a superior quality wall, door, or panel. In addition to these products, one company has a long list of other protective products designed for blast scenarios. Blast Doors with Fire Protection Along with a high-security blast wall like the one mentioned, the right company features doors that include fire rated assemblies. That means in addition to protection from bombs and flying debris, the door serves as a barrier against post blast fire. Because a detonated bomb poses the risk of a fire, many businesses prefer this option. For this, you can select between single or twin door configurations. Although blast doors come in many different styles, if you are a commercial or government facility, you should be looking for blast doors that also have UL fire rating, some of which are available with fire ratings of up to 3 hours. If you are in a petrochemical or related facility, you can have a reputable company custom design and manufacture a blast door to resist blast pressures in the door frame up to 1.5 bar, as well as providing 2-hour hydrocarbon fire protection. Regardless of the direction you take, if you worry about a terrorist threat against your company, you have excellent options for protection.