Testing of impact and crushing forces on power-operated doors in compliance with standard EN 12453
Testing of impact and crushing forces on power-operated doors in compliance with standard EN 12453
To ensure the safety of the automation system, it is essential to check the “force limitation” on the main edge – and, if necessary, on the secondary edges as well – during installation and maintenance.
The BlueForce instrument can be used to measure the crushing force between two moving leaves or between a leaf and an opposing fixed part. The measurements can be complex, but thanks to the advanced features of BlueForce Smart Pro and the BlueForce Cloud platform, all operations are simplified.
Standard EN 12453 sets out the requirements for measuring the crushing forces of the following automatic doors: sliding gates, swing gates, sectional doors and roller shutters, vertical and up-and-over garage doors (EN 60335-2-95), automatic barriers
Measurement of impact and crushing forces on pedestrian doors in accordance with standard EN 16005
Also for motorised pedestrian doors, EN 16005 specifies force limitation as one of the possible protective measures against the risks of crushing and impact. However, this type of door is often protected by ESPE devices (non-contact protection) or complies with “low energy” requirements; in such cases, the measurement of crushing force may not be applicable.
Force measurement may, however, be required at points where contact with the door leaf is allowed as a safety measure, for example under certain conditions during the opening movement where obstacles are present or where safety distances cannot be guaranteed.
Measurement of impact and crushing forces on turnstiles and pedestrian access points in accordance with standard EN 17352
EN 17352 sets out the safety requirements for turnstiles and motorised pedestrian access gates, stipulating various protective measures against the risks of crushing, shearing, drawing-in and impact. These specific “machines” can also be protected by: safety distances, guards, ESPE devices, “low-energy” operation or force limitation.
Where safety is achieved by limiting forces, the standard requires that dynamic forces must be measured using a measuring instrument. The measurement points and procedures are defined according to the type and geometry of the turnstile or access point.
Directives, Regulations, Standards - Automatic doors and electric gates
To ensure the safety and compliance of automatic doors and electric gates, it is necessary to be familiar with and correctly apply the relevant Directives, Regulations and Technical Standards. The measurements of impact and crushing forces described on this page also form part of the checks required by the applicable standards.
It is essential to be familiar with the relevant European regulations and to undertake professional training courses in order to learn the fundamental rules of your profession and avoid “getting lost in a sea of regulations”.