American Architectural Manufacturers Association

AAMA 111 Adds Door Component Qualification to Certification Procedures

April 30, 2010

Even as the industry wrestles with the technically thorny issue of incorporating a window for component substitution into performance testing requirements for side-hinged doors (SHDs), AAMA has completed guidelines for door certification as a supplement to AAMA 103-09, Procedural Guide for Certification of Window and Door Assemblies.

AAMA 111-09, Procedure for Limited Component Substitution in AAMA-Certified Exterior Side-Hinged Doors, provides a procedure for limited substitution of components within a door assembly that has already been authorized for certification, called the “base system.” This base system and its components must meet the requirements of the AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440-05, NAFS – North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights, which includes criteria for forced entry resistance, cycle/slam, vertical loading and force-to-latch.

The AAMA 111 procedure essentially defines conditions under which a “waiver of retest” can be granted for the substitution of up to three defined components before the reconfigured base system must be re-tested. The components that fall under the procedure are listed below. In general, any of these components may be substituted into a qualified base system if they can be proven to perform as well as, or better than, the component being replaced. Specific tests, when required, are also included in the list below.

• Astragals – ASTM E 330, Standard Test Method for Structural Performance of Exterior Windows, Doors, Skylights and Curtain Walls by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference, or ANSI A250.13-2008, Testing And Rating Of Severe Windstorm Resistant Components For Swinging Door Assemblies, Sections 11.2 and 11.3
• Steel or composite door leaves – ASTM D 6109-05, Standard Test Methods for Flexural Properties of Unreinforced and Reinforced Plastic Lumber and Related Products, or ASTM D 790-03, Flexural Properties of Unreinforced and Reinforced Plastics and Electrical Insulating Materials, or ASTM D 1037-06a, Standard Test Methods for Evaluating Properties of Wood-Base Fiber and Particle Panel Materials, as applicable
• Door leaves with wood stiles and rails (framework) – AAMA 920-03, Specification for Operating Cycle Performance of Side-Hinged Exterior Door Systems, and 925-07, Specification for Determining the Vertical Loading Resistance of Side-Hinged Door Leaves, when glass panels are added, ASTM D 5751, Standard Specification for Adhesives Used for Laminate Joints in Nonstructural Lumber Products, or ASTM D 5572, Standard Specification for Adhesives Used for Finger Joints in Nonstructural Lumber Products, for glue joints
• Frames (for pre-hung doors) – ASTM E 330 or ANSI A250.13-2008, Section 5.2.1
• Glass assemblies – ASTM E 330 and E 331, Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference, or E 547, Standard Test Method for Water Penetration of Exterior Windows, Skylights, Doors, and Curtain Walls by Cyclic Static Air Pressure Difference
• Hardware (hinges and single-point locks) – 101/I.S.2/A440 Hardware Section or AAMA 930-03, Voluntary Specification for the Water Penetration Resistance and Structural Load Performance of Locking/Latching Hardware Used in Side-Hinged Door Systems
• Mullions – ASTM E 330 or ANSI A250.13-2008, Section 5.2.1
• Sills and thresholds – ASTM E 330 or ANSI A250.13-2008, Section 11.2.4
• Weatherstrips and weather seals

In some cases, engineering evaluation according to standard practice may be employed instead of re-testing.

In addition to these structural considerations, conditions under which changed components or sub-assemblies (or complete door assembles containing them) must be re-tested are listed. If the change (e.g., different sealing methods or different weatherstrip interface features) could affect the water penetration resistance of the door assembly, the revised assembly must be re-tested. Such tests must be performed according to the methods of ASTM E 283, Standard Test Method for Determining Rate of Air Leakage Through Exterior Windows, Curtain Walls, and Doors Under Specified Pressure Differences, and ASTM E 547 or E 331, and in some cases ASTM E 330.

Side-hinged entry doors may now be certified under these guidelines.

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