Joe Hetzel, Technical Director for the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA) presented the group’s standards and guidelines for performance of sectional and rolling garage doors and other similar assemblies. Wind and windborne debris impact are the focus of damage prevention measures, as, according to Hetzel, “if installed properly, there is usually minimal or no problems at the interfaces with structures.”

DASMA Technical Data Sheet TDS-155, Residential and Commercial Wind Load Guides, includes residential and commercial door wind pressures including those defined in various editions of ASCE-7. Exposure categories are taken into consideration among other factors.

“You have a wide variety of conditions affecting positive and negative wind pressures per ASCE-7,” Hetzel explained; “location, door size, design wind speed, exposure category, mean roof height and roof slope. DASMA typically focuses our efforts on Category 2 storms, considered by the Saffir-Simpson Scale as those with some damage to roofing, doors and windows.”

ANSI/DASMA 108, Standard Method for Testing Sectional Garage Doors and Rolling Doors: Determination of Structural Performance Under Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference, calls for testing to design wind pressure for 10 seconds and testing to 1.5 times the design pressure for 10 seconds. ASTM E330 provisions for the basis behind the test procedures.

ANSI/DASMA 115, Standard Method for Testing Sectional Garage Doors and Rolling Doors: Determination of Structural Performance Under Missile Impact and Cyclic Wind Pressure, uses ASTM E1886 and ASTM E1996 provisions for the basis behind the test procedures.

DASMA Technical Research Document 1066, DASMA Post Disaster Investigation Checklist: Upward Acting Doors, provides a methodology and checklist for evaluating damage and apparent flaws in large doors such as garage doors that have been subjected to and damaged by high wind events. It permits the recording of failure modes, door configuration, jamb type, mounting fasteners and the presence/type of insulation, operator type, glazing and counterbalance.

The documents are available at dasma.com.

Hetzel showed examples of failures and successes from Hurricane Charley, including the performance of homes built before and after 2001. He concluded that Florida codes are technically sound for vehicular access doors, code enforcement is consistent, and manufacturers are coordinating installation information effectively. Also, he noted that the Florida product approval process has been effective for statewide administration of doors (with very few rejections).