Strap Hinges
Also known as T-hinges, strap hinges are a type of
hinge with long straps that attach to the face of exterior and interior
doors and
cabinets while allowing for up to 180 degrees of swinging movement. 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. 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. The materials that are 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.
There are two main designs of strap hinges. In one design, 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" which 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 are joined together at the base. In this design there are also three alternating knuckles, however all of the knuckles are at equal length and the two leaves offer equal mounting surfaces. There are many different types of strap hinges, two of which are dummy strap hinges and pintle type strap hinges. Dummy strap hinges are non-functional and are 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. While the majority of strap hinges are rigid with fixed-pins that do not allow the pin to be removed from the strap hinge, pintle type strap hinges have loose pins that allow for the gate or door to be lifted off without having to unscrew the hinges. Most strap hinges are cut and shaped from extruded materials.