Subscriber Discussion

Egress Flowrates: Two Single Doors Vs. Pair Of Doors?

U
Undisclosed #1
Oct 13, 2016

Is anyone aware of a study that says two door leaves separated by a center mullion are better or worse during an evacuation than a pair withOUT a mullion. Your opinions are welcome, but know most of the arguments for and against.  I need some serious STUDIES or some proof that one is better than the other.  

Avatar
Brian Rhodes
Oct 13, 2016
IPVMU Certified

I can help. Do the double doors in question both swing the same directions, or do they swing opposed to each other?

U
Undisclosed #1
Oct 27, 2016

Brian, do you have anything on my question yet? There are a couple of companies out there that have sim software that can mimic an evacuation. But I don't know who has actually done it.

Avatar
Brian Rhodes
Oct 27, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Yikes, sorry about leaving you hanging. I asked Lori Greene this question, being confident if anyone could cite the study, she could. However, she responded with uncertainty too:

You are the 8 billionth person to ask me that question! I finally tracked down a professor – I think he was in England – who had conducted a similar study unofficially but had no data to share with me. He has developed some software for egress modeling. I asked him how much it would cost to get a little video with some data and he never responded. I have asked a ton of people where to find this info and nobody knows. I started thinking it was an urban legend.

So the 'ringer' on issues like this is not sure studies exist either.

I also contacted the National Hollow Metal Door Association, and they were not able to cite a study either.

(I know that isn't the citation you were looking for!)

U
Undisclosed #1
Oct 27, 2016

Thanks Brian. I too contacted Lori about this. Hopefully she will post it to her site and get some answers. There are several companies that offer sim software (to the tune of $25K). One of these is based in the UK. Another, Pathfinder, also comes to mind. Hopefully someone has actually modeled this situation with only one variable, a mullion. Seems pretty simple to me.

Anyway, there is a University somewhere in the US that has done this (or something very close to it). They were featured on one of those History Channel or NATGEO shows. I thought it was Brain Games; but I went though every episode of Brain Games, and i did not see it.

If only I would have written it down. ....

U
Undisclosed #1
Oct 13, 2016

My bad. I'm talking about means of egress doors equipped with panic devices. Somewhere there is study.

Avatar
Brian Rhodes
Nov 03, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Bump update for anyone interested. Lori Greene posted an inquiry on this topic to her page, but there hasn't been much in the way of formal studies posted so far.

It looks like an effort for expanded simulations may be in the works.

New discussion

Ask questions and get answers to your physical security questions from IPVM team members and fellow subscribers.

Newest discussions