0.

2 Minimising hinge damage

In order to avoid the collision between the door and the wall, brakes are often
installed on the door and wall. At present, many brakes are installed near
the ground as shown in figure. During the process of opening and closing
the door, the door collides with the brake, so that the door is affected by the
impact force. Over time, the hinge can be loosened and the door frame can
be damaged. However, if the position of the brake is properly selected, the
impact force can be minimized. The best position for brake installation is
analyzed below.

If the mass distribution of the gate is uniform, selecting the door plane as
the Oxz plane, we first discuss the optimal mounting position of the brake in
the x-direction. To do this, imagine dividing the door horizontally into many
narrow strips, as shown. We are taking the K strip to study its impact.

Let the distance of the brake from the axis of the door be d, the mass of the
narrow strip K is m, the distance between its center of mass and the axis
of rotation is h/2, and the width of the door is h. When the door collides
with the brake, the force on the narrow strip K by the brake is F 0 , and the
force on the door shaft is F 1 and F 2 , as shown in figure (b). Where F 2 is
the axial force, which passes through the axis and provides the centripetal
force required for the rotation of the narrow bar K. F0 and F1 are the impact

4
forces, and it is these two forces that brake the door. Obviously, to reduce
the impact force on the door frame, F 1 should be minimized.
For the convenience of discussion, the narrow bar is regarded as a rigid long
rod rotating around a fixed axis. When it collides with the brake, it will
receive an external moment M from the brake. According to the angular
momentum theorem, during the impact time from t0 to t, the change of
angular momentum is, Z t
L − L0 = M dt
t0

In the formula, L0 = Jω0 is the angular momentum at the beginning of the

impact, where J is the moment of inertia of the narrow bar around the axis,
L is the end of the impact (ie door braking) angular momentum, obviously
it should be zero. As can be seen from figure (b), M = −d · F0 , in this way,
the above formula can be written as,
Z t
Jω0 = d F0 dt
t0

The motion of the narrow bar K should also obey the momentum theorem.
The components of the momentum theorem in the y direction are:
Z t
p − p0 = − (F0 + F1 ) dt
t0

Where p0 = mvy = mhω0 /2 is the initial momentum, p is the momentum

after collision (p = 0). Solving equations simultaneously, we can get:
Z t  
h J
F1 dt = m − ω0
t0 2 d

To make the impact force F1 = 0, and taking into account J = mh2 /3, so,
2
d= h
3
It can be seen that for any narrow strip, installing the brake at 2h/3 off the
axis can minimize the impact force on the axis. This conclusion holds for all
narrow bars. Therefore, if the mass distribution of the door is uniform and
symmetrical up and down, the brake should be installed on the upper and
lower symmetry line of the door, at a distance of 2h/3 from the axis. This
protects the hinges at the door shaft from damage.