This type of hinge is available in several configurations, including gate and café models and double Dutch configurations in which one door is mounted above the other to fill extremely high openings. Optional features include lower hinge guards as well as an integrated hold open feature that allows the door to be propped open for clean up or at stocking time.

Various door types are suitable for this type of hinge, including the following:

Lightweight partition doors. These doors can be fabricated from a variety of materials suitable for different applications. Material options range from .063 aluminum (tempered and anodized), 16-gauge stainless steel, or .063 anodized aluminum with a high-pressure laminate.

Solid core partition doors. Core consists of exterior grade plywood clad with aluminum (tempered and anodized), 20-gauge stainless steel, high-pressure laminates, or ABS.

Insulated partition doors. Core consists of a rigid PVC full perimeter frame filled with CFC-free urethane foam. Panel thickness options are 1.5 inches and 3.5 inches (EISA compliant). Cladding options include ABS impact-resistant thermoplastic, anodized aluminum, or stainless steel.

Rotationally molded insulated doors. The 1.5-inch-thick monolithic door panel is rotationally molded and features an outer skin made of recyclable linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). The core is foamed-in-place with CFC-free urethane foam for enhanced insulation properties. Internal vertical tubular steel reinforcements stabilize the panel. This type of door is suitable for retail, walk-in coolers, and light industrial applications.

V-Cam Hinges

Typically the upper V-Cam casting is ductile iron or stainless steel and features a ramp that is available in low or standard rise configurations. The roller assembly attaches to the upper hinge post and the door rises upon opening as the roller travels up the ramp in the V-Cam.

Because they offer greater resistance to opening, doors equipped with V-Cam hinges are more resistant to blowing open due to high wind or negative or positive pressure in the opening. V-Cam hinges are usually preferred when the impact traffic door will be subjected to high volume or highly abusive forklift traffic. A spring assist option is available for applications where increased resistance to opening is desired, typically where high wind or draft, or pressure conditions exist, such as on dock openings.

V-Cam hinges are typically more difficult to install as a top seal must be used and the roller assembly must be drilled and pinned to the upper hinge post. Greater impact is necessary to open these doors, but they are usually compliant with ADA opening force requirements (unless equipped with spring assist).

Typically, V-Cam hinges are available in 90- x 90-degree or 90- x 180-degree configurations. The 90-degree x 90-degree swing configuration mounts in the center of the doorjamb and allows the door to travel 90 degrees in each direction. The 90-degree x 180-degree configuration mounts on the corner of the door jamb and allows the door panel to travel 90 degrees in one direction and 180 degrees in the other direction. The 90-degree x 180-degree cam allows the door panel to literally “wrap around” the wall in one direction in applications where traffic passing through the opening makes a sharp turn before clearing the leading edge of the door. Other options include low or standard rise cams, lower hinge guards, and spring assist for high draft or pressure conditions.

Image courtesy of Eliason Corporation

Designed for heavy-duty industrial impact traffic situations, doors with V-Cam hinges are designed with a heavy-duty internal steel framework or are monolithic in design with internal steel reinforcements. Typically, the outer cladding is either ABS impact-resistant plastic or rotationally molded LLDPE. In either case, the core is foamed in place with high-density CFC-free urethane foam.

V Cam 90 x 180 options allow doors subjected to loads making sharp turns to literally “wrap around” the wall in one direction. Image courtesy of Eliason Corporation