Door And Window Hardware

LOUVRE WINDOWS

Windows with glass louvres are often used in the tropics because of their various advantages: they can be opened without any waste of space in the room and in the closed position they still admit light to the room. Their disadvantage is that it is very difficult to make them water-tight.

Louvre windows are installed ready-made into the window frame (Fig. 1). When the glasses are inserted in the window, wooden beads or ready-made aluminium waterbars are fitted to the head and cill to keep out dust and rain (Fig. 2).

In wide windows where two sets of louvres are installed in the frame, the metal posts of the louvre frame are fixed together in the middle, forming a metal mullion (Fig. 3). A separate wooden mullion is therefore not necessary. We will learn more in the Construction book (windows) about the installation of a self-mul-lioning louvre frame. Specially made mullion connectors are sold in a separate set (Fig. 3a).

Louvre windows are available in mild steel or aluminium frames. The aluminium frames need very little maintenance, but they are more expensive and less strong.

The size of the window frame is determined by the size and number of the louvre glasses. The inside width is:

- the length of the glass plus 3,8 cm (the thickness of two frames).

If two or more louvres are set across the width of the window, then for each additional glass 3,8 cm, plus the glass length must be added to the inside width of the frame.

The inside height of the window frame is determined by the number of louvre glasses.

Inside height (in cm) of window frames according to the number of louvre glasses:

No.	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
Ht.	30,5	44,5	58,4	72,4	86,4	100,3	114,3	128,3	142,2	156,2	170,2	184,2	198,1

All the above measurements are for 6 in. (15 cm) glasses. If you have other sizes, follow the manufacturer's instructions.

HINGES

Hinges are available in almost countless different shapes, sizes and materials. The most common materials are steel, brass, and copper; or sometimes the hinge is only plated with brass or copper.

In Rural Building, we deal only with the most common types of hinges, which are; butt hinges, H-hinges (Parliament hinges), T-hinges, band-and-hook hinges, and pivot hinges.

BUTT HINGE:

The ordinary steel butt hinge is cheap and durable, and it is the most common hinge for doors and casements (Fig. 1). It consists of two halves, also called leaves or flaps, held together by a pin. The pin may be removable or permanently fixed. If the pin can be removed from the outside when the door is shut and locked, the door is not burglar-proof.

When the door is shut, the two leaves (one attaches to the door post and the other to the hanging stile of the door) are folded together. The leaves are usually set into recesses in the door and post.

H-HINGE (PARLIAMENT HINGE):

The H-hinge, sometimes called the Parliament hinge, is similar to the butt hinge. It consists of two leaves, each with a knuckle. The pin is set permanently into the knuckle of one leaf. The H-hinge is installed in the same way as the butt hinge (Fig. 2).

T-HINGE:

T-hinges are mostly used for large and heavy doors, gates and lodged and battened doors. They are available in different sizes.

The hinge (Fig. 3) consists of a long mild steel strap, which is fixed to the outside of the door; and a cross bar which is hinged to the strap and attached with screws to the post of the door frame.

For security reasons, the strap of the T-hinge should be fixed to the door with at least one coach bolt, so that no one can unscrew the hinge to enter the building.

BAND-AND-HOOK HINGE:

The band -and-hook hinge is closely related to the T-hinge. It consists of an iron strip called the band, which drops onto a pin called the hook, which is attached to the frame of the door or window (Fig. 4).

They are used and installed in the same way as T-hinges,

PIVOT HINGE:

For windows, we sometimes use pivot hinges. These consist simply of a plate with a pin, which fits into a hole in another plate (Fig. 5).

LOCKS AND FITTINGS

There are many kinds of locks and fittings available for doors and casements. The choice between them depends on the type of door or casement and its function.

Doors and casements may be either left or right-handed. When the door opens towards you with the hinges on the left, it is a left-handed door (Fig, 1); if the hinges are on the right, the door is said to be right-handed (Fig. 2).

Some types of locks can be used on only one iy^e of door, either right or left-handed. Therefore, we have to know whether the doors are right or left-handed before we order the locks, so we can buy the correct ones. Some types of locks have a latch bolt which can be changed to work in either type of door.

The most common types of locks are:

• the mortice lock
• the rimlock
• the padlock

The most common types of fittings are:

• the hasp and staple
• the barrel bolt
• the tower bolt
• the casement fastener

Locks are normally fixed at a height of 105 cm, measured from the floor to the centre of the handle (Fig. 1).

MORTICE LOCKS:

Mortice locks (Fig. 1) consist of a stock (a), faceplate (b) and the latch bolt (c) moved by the handle. The handle fits into the bush (d) and there is a lock bolt (e) moved by the key. The two bolts fit into holes in the striking plate (f) which is attached by screws to the door post.

 

As the name suggests, the mortice lock fits into a mortice in the edge of the door. The stock should fit tightly against the sides of the mortice so that the door itself takes the strain, not the screws which only hold the lock in position.

Mortice locks can only be installed in doors which are thick enough to receive a mortice. They are difficult to force open, since they are inside the door.

Mortice locks are locked either with an ordinary key (g), which moves small levers inside the stock to push the lock bolt in and out, or with a locking cylinder (h), which operates the locking mechanism inside the stock. The advantage of the locking cylinder is that it is more secure, since a special key is needed to open and lock it (i).

DOOR FURNITURE FOR MORTICE LOCKS:

The door furniture (Fig. 2) consists of two leaf plates (k), two handles (1) and a spindle (m). The spindle is permanently fixed in one handle and secured in the other by a pin (n). The handle with the pin should always be inside the door, so that the pin cannot be loosened from the outside.

The leaf plates are attached to both sides of the door with screws; or better, with specially made bolts which cannot be torn out easily. The leaf plates hold the handle in place and prevent damage to the keyhole. Sometimes separate leaf plates are used for the keyhole and the handle.

The leaf plate for a mortice lock with a cylinder (o) has an opening into which the locking cylinder fits, instead of a keyhole.

RIM LOCKS:

Rim locks (Fig. 1) have a latch bolt (a) operated by a handle and a lock bolt (b) operated by a key from the outside or inside of the door. This kind of lock is attached with screws to the inside face of the door and the bolts shoot into a staple (c). There is a face plate (d) which is attached with screws to the door edge.

On the outside of the door, two round plates are attached with screws, one to hold the handle and the other to cover the keyhole. The handles have a square spindle which fits into the bush of the lock.

These locks are used on doors which are too thin to have mortice locks installed in them. Like the mortice lock, the rim lock is available with either an ordinary key locking system or with a locking cylinder.

CYLINDER RIM NIGHT LATCH:

This is a special kind of rim lock. It consists (Fig. 2) of a latch (e), a locking cylinder (f) and a staple (g). There is a face t>late (h) which is part of the shell of the cylinder. The spindle (i) is fixed in the cylinder.

The latch bolt is operated from the outside by a key which rotates the spindle. The spindle moves the bolt mechanism inside the latch.

The bolt may also be shot back from the staple by turning the knob (j) of the latch from the inside. The locking arm (k) is used to fix the bolt in place, so that It cannot be operated from either side by the key or the knob, making the lock more secure.

PADLOCKS:

Padlocks have a ring which locks into a body. The locking mechanism can be either a lever mechanism or a locking cylinder, as with the mortice lock.

HASP AND STAPLE:

The hasp and staple (Fig. 1) is usually used in combination with a padlock. It is installed on doors which do not have to be opened very often, as it takes time to open it.

The hasp (a) is screwed to the door or casement and the staple (b) to the frame. Some types of hasp and staple can be unscrewed from the outside. For security reasons, these types should be attached with bolts and nuts rather than with screws. The leaf of the hasp should be installed so that when closed it covers the screws.

An alternative to the hasp and staple is the device shown in Fig, 2. This is an efficient way of locking doors with a padlock and the parts can be made by hand. Two small plates have holes drilled in them for the padlock and screws to pass through. The plates aro attached with screws to the edge of the door aid the post.

BARREL BOLTS:

The barrel bolt (Fig. 3) consists of a plate (c) with a round bolt (d). The bolt engages in a staple (e). The plate is attached with screws to the inside of the door or window and the staple is attached to the frame. Barrel bolts are often used to lock casements.

A more effective staple can be made by hand (f), in the same way as the device in Fig. 2 above. It provides more security than the staple normally supplied with the barrel bolt since the screws are on the inside face of the post and cannot be so easily forced out. The bolt plate can also be attached with bolts and nuts to make it more secure.

TOWER BOLTS:

A tower bolt (Fig. 4) consists of a plate (g) with a flat bolt (h) fitted in it. The bolt engages in a staple (i) or in a striking plate in the frame. the plate and bolt are usually fixed on the door or casement.

CASEMENT FASTENERS:

Besides the barrel bolt and the tower bolt, there are some other methods for keeping casements in a closed or open position. These are the casement stay and the cabin hook.

The casement stay serves to keep the casement in the open position. It consists of a handle (a), either wooden or metal, which is fixed onto a plate (b) screwed to the casement. A hole in the handle fits over a small pin in the cill of the frame when the casement is open and holds the casement in position (Fig. 1, c).

If the casement opens upwards, the stay can be constructed so that it also serves as a lock when the window is closed (Fig. 2). A notch (d) holds the stay on the cill when the window is open.

The cabin hook (Fig. 3) is used to hold the casement in the closed position. It consists of a hooked bar which fits into a screw eye (e). The other end of the bar is held by a second screw eye (f) which is fixed on the door or casement.

LOCKING DEVICE FOR LARGE DOORS:

The drawings below show a locking device used for large doors on stores etc, where trucks or other vehicles may have to enter to deliver goods (Fig. 4). It consists mainly of a long baulk (a) which can hold the two doors securely shut. The baulk is fixed with a coach bolt (b) onto one of the doors.

Two wooden blocks (c) hold the baulk in position when the doors are closed and a catch (d) prevents the baulk from swinging open by its own weight or from a gust of wind (Fig. 5).

A piece of flat iron (e) bent as shown in Fig. 4, keeps the baulk in the locked position. This iron should be firmly attached to the door.