ABSTRACT
Thus, experiments of measuring operating force proceeded including hinged doors and sliding doors either with or without door closers. As door closers were applied, the results showed that the operating forces increased greatly, and the fluctuated phenomenon of force signals obviously reduced. Also, both two kinds of measurements composed of the initial force and the maximum force were significant. As opening the door faster, the operating forces rose relatively, and these two measurements became closer even without difference. However, as opening the door slower, a behavior that occurred in the people with smaller body force such as women, children and the elderly, the initial force was smaller obviously than the maximum force. Also, a bigger size of door closer applied for hinged doors would bring about a larger operating force. The results suggest that the use of the door closer makes the operational behavior more complex, also caused a substantial increase of operating forces. Thus, for universal design of a door and a door closer, the consideration of operating force became very crucial.
