Composite Doors & Door Frames The RV-TIFAC Composite Design Centre (RV-TIFAC CDC) set up by the Advanced Composites Mission in Bangalore has successfully developed more than 180 composite products with potential applications in housing and construction sectors. The Centre has developed the technology for fabricating FRP doors conforming to BIS specifications (IS:4020). The doors made of FRP skins, sandwiched with core materials such as rigid polyurethane foam, expanded polystyrene, paper honeycomb, jute/coir felt etc. can have potential usage in residential buildings, offices, schools, hospitals, laboratories etc. The doors made by FRP-PUF sandwich composites offer special advantages compared to those manufactured from traditional monolithic materials such as wood & metals. The principal fabrication technique employed is contact moulding or hand lay-up process. Wooden inserts are placed between two sheets of the door for fastening the required fittings. The PU foam is sandwiched between the sheets by in-situ foaming process followed by painting & polishing to meet aesthetic requirement. Proper usage of additives imparts fire retardant properties to the doors. Some of the unique features of FRP doors are : • Water proof • Corrosion resistance • Fire retardant • Termite resistance • Functional superiority • Design flexibility • Attractive design & in-built colour shades etc. A cost & weight analysis of FRP doors vs. conventional wooden doors reveals that replacing salwood door with FRP door could result in cost & weight savings of 44.72% & 61.04% respectively. Compiled by Sukla Choudhury
