The garage door is an amazing dynamic system with torques, tensions and gravitational force all in one. Prior to the existence of the automobile, the primary method of transportation was by horse and carriage. When not in use, people stored horse carriages in what were known as a carriage house, barn-like outbuildings with swing doors for access.During the early years of the 20th century, cars were working their way into society. Ford Motor Co. was one of the pioneers of the automotive revolution, shipping its first vehicle to a Detroit physician on July 20, 1903. One hundred later, cars have become a pillar of the industrialized world with an estimated 42 million vehicles produced per year.

When the automobile replaced the horse and carriage as the preferred method of transportation, storage of the automobile became an issue. Until about 1910, most people parked their cars in public parking garages where you could a space for a monthly fee. Soon, however, there wasn’t enough room in these garages and car owners began to incorporate garages onto their properties or near their homes.

Early garage doors were similar to carriage house doors using strap hinges and opening outwards. These doors were heavy and awkward to open. Hinges often broke or screws pulled out of the wood. If there was snow on the ground, the doors couldn’t easily be opened. A better door was truly needed. There are two main types of garage doors on the market today roll ups and one-piece-doors either way they are both over head doors.

The roll up door is comprised of torsion springs These forces are developed in torsion springs, wound on a steel tube or “torsion tube” traditionally located above the header. When installing a garage door system a technician will wind the torsion springs and lock them in place on the tube (see picture A). The springs then store potential mechanical energy which is distributed via torque, as a tension on both sides of the garage door. Of course a set of garage door springs must develop enough tension in the cables to counter balance gravities effect on the door itself. door weight=mg=f Newtons famous equation works great here it gets a little more difficult to understand what spring size to use for what weight of door.

The torsion spring itself is a physics marvel also, there are three variables involved in a typical garage torsion spring (see Picture B) Length, inside diameter, and wire size or gauge. Each variable works independently of the other and can be varied to lengthen the lifetime of the spring. Torsion springs come in two different varieties galvanized or standard oil tempered springs, the galvanized being the better choice of the two. A galvanised torsion spring tends to have a longer lifetime and tend to be non corrosive. The most common grade of torsion springs will last about 10,000 cycles. The steel experiences large amounts of force each time the door opens or closes. Gradually, the steel fatigues and eventually breaks, usually releasing its stored energy in an instant with a loud bang.

The one-piece-door constructed usually with wood but sometimes may be made of metal, these doors can be found primarily in the western united states. wood one piece doors can eisily be (see picture c)

In the case of a one piece door the springs(see picture d) work on tension rather than torsion. when used in conjunction with pivot hardware see picture e) a 16″x7″ one piece door can be effectivly counter balanced.

Another type garage door is the custom wood door, custom wood doors have been very popular in the high end home markets, in costal regions and any where home owners must have the best doors available. These doors can be made out of virtually any wood species (see picture e) and design.

Posted under OmegaGarageDoorService.com

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