butterfly door

butterfly door

English

1996 McLaren F1 with butterfly doors.

butterfly door on coal-fueled steam-engine firebox

Two center-pivoting butterfly doors; (R-to-L) one fully open, one fully closed

simple schematic diagram of center-pivoting butterfly door

Noun

butterfly door (plural butterfly doors)

1. (automobiles) A car door similar to scissor door, but while scissor doors move straight up via hinge points at the bottom of the A-pillar, butterfly doors move up and out via hinges along the A-pillar.
2. (of stationary or locomotive boilers) A door consisting of two leaves that swing on a pivot above the center of the firebox opening to open and close.
3. (architecture) A door which pivots on a central axis, used in locations with a pressure differential between the two sides of the door, so that forces exhibited do not inhibit opening and closing of the door, due to contrary action of forces on the two halves of the door which open inwards and outwards at the same time.[1]

Translations

type of car door

Finnish: perhosovi French: porte papillon (fr) f

German: Schmetterlingstür f Italian: portiera ad ala di gabbiano

See also

• butterfly valve

References

1. National Fire Protection Association, "Report of the Committee on Fixed Guideway Transit Systems", NFPA 130 - A95 ROP (1995)

Further reading

• Butterfly doors on Wikipedia.Wikipedia (automotive)
• Automobiles with butterfly doors on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• Firebox (steam engine) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Butterfly doors (architectural) on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons