Broken Vault Doors

wylk · 2022-12-26T23:50:19+00:00

From time to time I find images of vault doors that are broken, salvaged, vandalized, or gutted. It’s very common to find the time lock has been removed; after all, it’s quite attractive. But a few doors are interesting because of context, or simply how they are broken. Above, a nice Mosler door with a missing time lock. But it’s in an operating bank, with what appears to be an active safe deposit vault. I wonder, does the bank’s insurance company know the time lock is gone? I remember reading about a bank, the manager stated the door was required to have a functioning time lock, but he was not required to use it (and didn’t). Above: a Mosler Donsteel door in a former bank. The banking hall is currently an event space. But notice the lower-left portion of the door. Some of the bolts are extended to various degrees, and four of the “crank disks” are missing (that’s what the patent calls them). Why (and how) were the disks removed, and why only four? Above: A Diebold door which is missing its time lock (of course), in a vacant former bank. But also notice there are four missing bolts (and pinions), and that they have been removed symmetrically. I am tempted to guess that a vault technician removed them due to malfunctions, and thought doing it in such a pattern would be more acceptable. Or they were removed to repair a similar door elsewhere, in an active bank. This might explain some of the other examples. Above, a miserable old Herring-Hall-Marvin door. It’s rusty, missing its time lock, and the glass is broken (and somebody tossed a water bottle inside). But also notice that one bolt is missing in the lower-left corner. Whoever took it out, they at least had the decency to put back the castle nut! The door has since been cleaned up, new glass installed, and even a time lock (that does not look proper).

wylk

Brian,

Thanks for the clarification. Goodness, I did not realize the segmented rod was NOT by design! But it does demonstrate the forces of a straight rod being forced to rotate in this manner.

With a bearing that rotates less than ½ turn, slowly, twice a weekday, you can get away with a lot and not worry too much about geometry.

Huw Eastwood

wylk wrote
I had been assuming they were ball bearings but a roller bearing makes more sense. I also have been assuming there are radial bearings to handle the horizontal loads while the thrust bearings handle the vertical loads?

wylk wrote
Did you replace the segmented rods with long, solid pins?

Huw Eastwood wrote
Dowel pins are long solid pins wylk!

Huw Eastwood wrote
That mashed bearings a shocker and amazed they used that configuration for a door of that size.

wylk wrote
Yes, I’m aware of that.

The reason the original rods were segmented in the original bearing is because each segment rotates at a different rate. That’s why cars have differentials, that’s why “normal” roller bearings are tapered and/or angled. The outside portion needs to rotate at a higher rate (circumferential distance per degree of rotation) than the inner part. The original bearing was in pieces to minimize this effect.

On the other hand, a long and solid rod or pin is going to “skid” to some degree for almost its entire length and rub and scrape the flat end-faces of the bearing. I’d expect a high rate of wear from this, and the next guy to repair it will have a bigger problem to fix.

If I’m all wet (or greasy), let me know.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23335[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]23336[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]23337[/ATTACH]

The left bearing resembles the vault door thrust bearing. It’s hard to see but I’m pretty sure the rolling elements are tapered and thus the faces of the end plates must be as well. Granted, this one’s rated at 373000 kg! The third image shows the taper more clearly.
(second image courtesy of Wikimedia commons area).

Thanks again to Brian S for confirming that, and thanks wylk for that outburst of entertainment.

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wylk

One more “impact crater” example, this time comparatively minor. A fine old Mosler door.

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