Development of a tornado safe room door from wood Products: door design and impact testing

Robert H. Falk; James Bridwell

doi:10.2737/FPL-RP-686

Treesearch

Development of a tornado safe room door from wood Products: door design and impact testing

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Robert H. Falk, James Bridwell

Year:

2016

Type:

Research Paper

Station:

Forest Products Laboratory

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2737/FPL-RP-686

Source:

Research Paper FPL-RP-686. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory

Download (PDF 2.49 MB)

Download (PDF 2.49 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/52726.pdf

Abstract

In this study, a tornado safe room door built from wood products and steel sheeting was developed and impact-tested according to tornado safe room standards. Results indicate that an door constructed from as few as two sheets of 23/32-in. (18.26-mm) construction-grade plywood and overlaid with 18-gauge (0.05-in.- (1.27- mm-) thick) steel can pass the required impact test.

Keywords

tornado, tornado shelter, wood, impact testing, door

Citation

Falk, Robert H.; Bridwell, James J. 2016. Development of a tornado safe room door from wood products: door design and impact testing. Research Paper FPL-RP-686. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 17 p.