Strap Hinges
Strap hinges are a type of hinge with long straps. They attach to the face of exterior and interior doors and cabinets while allowing for up to 180 degrees of swinging movement.
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Applications of Strap Hinges
Serving industries such as marine, automotive, construction, architectural, residential, commercial, wine, industrial and agricultural, strap hinges are intended to be used on flat surfaces and are ideal for barn and shed doors, gates, boxes and crates.
Since strap hinges are shaped to take advantage of wide mounting surfaces, they are also widely used for applications such as tool boxes, storage bins, commercial bus doors, horse trailers, winery doors, cabinets and windows. In addition, strap hinges are commonly used in ornamental applications.
Materials Used in Manufacturing Strap Hinges
Most strap hinges are cut and shaped from extruded materials. The materials most often used for light duty strap hinges include aluminum, thermoplastic, and die cast zinc, while materials used for heavy duty strap hinges include stainless steel, steel, and brass. Solid brass and stainless steel strap hinges are particularly useful for applications requiring a high level of corrosion resistance, such as exterior doors.
Strap Hinge Design and Customization
There are two main designs of strap hinges. In one design, the strap hinges consist of two unequal hinge leaves, in which one leaf is both longer and narrower than the other leaf. Typically, the interior of the leaves are curled into three alternating "knuckles" that fit into one another and are secured by a pin. In this design, there will most likely be a large center knuckle and two equal end knuckles. The larger of the two leaves will offer more of a mounting surface than the smaller.
In the other design, strap hinges consist of two equal hinge leaves that are both shaped like isosceles triangles and joined together at the base. In this design, there are also three alternating knuckles, but all of the knuckles are at equal length, and the two leaves offer equal mounting surfaces.
As one of the earliest types of hinge, the strap hinge design is a relatively simple concept that can be customized and permuted in countless ways.
Notable Types of Strap Hinges
There are many different types of strap hinges. Two common types are dummy strap hinges and pintle type strap hinges. Dummy strap hinges are non-functional and solely used to give the door or gate an ornamental look. This type of strap hinge is available in all sorts of styles and sizes.
The majority of strap hinges are rigid with fixed-pins that do not allow the pin to be removed from the strap hinge. However, pintle type strap hinges have loose pins that allow for the gate or door to be lifted off without having to unscrew the hinges.