Have you ever wondered when doors were invented? At CAV Impact Windows and Doors we tell you about it. The earliest recorded doors appear in the hieroglyphs of Egyptian tombs and are shown as single or double doors, each made from a single piece of wood.
According to the biblical description of the temple of King Solomon, when doors were invented were made of olive wood, carved and covered with gold. Elm, cedar, oak and cypress were also used as raw material. According to Wikipedia, archaeologists have found a 5,000-year-old door in Switzerland.
When were doors invented timeline
Momentous Events in Door History according to Special-Lite
- 3000 BC: Wooden doors used in Europe.
- 2000 BC: Stone doors used throughout Asia.
- 587 BC: Solomon uses Olive wood overlaid with gold for his temple in Jerusalem.
- 1st Century AD: Roman folding and sliding doors preserved in Pompeii.
- 1st Century AD: A Greek scholar invents the first automatic door.
- 5th Century AD: The First foot-sensor-activated automatic door was made in China.
- 6th – 9th Century AD: Copper and Bronze used on doors in Medieval Europe.
- 12th – 15th Century AD: Ornate panel and carved wood doors grace the best structures.
- 1881 AD: The revolving door invented in Germany.
- 1909 AD: An American chemist invents the world’s first synthetic plastic (polymer).
- 1932 AD: A researcher at Owens-Illinois creates mass production of glass strands (fiberglass).
- 1970s AD: Polymer production surpasses the production of steel worldwide.
- 1981 AD: Special-Lite introduces the world’s first FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) door.
Infographic of when were doors invented
Source: Special-Lite
Types of door mechanisms
Hinged
Most of the doors are hinged along one side, allowing them to pivot away from the doorway in one direction. They are usually vertical.
Sliding
Sometimes it helps to have doors that slide along the rails, be it for space or aesthetic reasons. They are also used more frequently in closets to provide better access. Also, sliding glass doors are common in many homes, particularly as a backyard entry.
Revolving
A revolving door has several wings or leaves that radiate from a central axis, forming compartments that rotate around a vertical axis. A revolving door allows people to pass in both directions without colliding and forms an airlock that maintains a seal between the inside and outside.
High speed
A high speed door is a very fast door with some opening speeds of up to 4 m / s, used mainly in the industrial sector where the speed of a door has an effect on the logistics of production, temperature control and pressure.
In North America, the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association defines high-performance doors as non-residential power doors, characterized by rolling, folding, sliding or oscillating action, which are high cycle (minimum 100 cycles / day) or high speed (minimum 20 inches (508 mm) / second).