September design requirements: complete RCICS door assembly

[nk25719]

Purpose

Define and complete the September RCICS door-assembly design based on the 10 and 17 September 2026 core-team reviews and the current RCICS Requirements Document and Project Plan.

The September iteration should treat RCICS as a complete replacement door leaf/assembly for contact-and-droplet isolation, not only as a viewing-window retrofit. The design must remain locally fabricable in quantities of tens using commonly available materials and tools.

Confirmed design direction

• Use a rigid transparent viewing panel (Plexiglas/acrylic) in a fully framed portal.
• The portal/window should be installed into the door opening as a framed assembly.
• Develop a complete door option so exposed cut-door cross-sections are covered and sealed.
• Prefer steel where it is more readily available; PVC or another non-porous door material may be proposed as an alternative.
• Do not require specialized fabrication equipment for field installation.
• Preserve safe latch/handle operation, emergency egress, and sufficient opening for a patient bed/gurney.
• This is for contact/droplet isolation only, not airborne/negative-pressure isolation.

Required Engineering Work

1. Mechanical Engineer (Design and Fabrication)

• Create the dimensioned full-door assembly drawing/CAD model.
• Provide at least three sealable ports for tubing, IV lines, and cables.
• Show the door, Plexiglas panel, Z-section sandwich frame, ports, transfer opening, hinges, latch, bottom seal, and critical clearances.
• Add a panel cross-section and exploded assembly view.
• Mark assumed and field-adjustable dimensions.
• Finalize how the Plexiglas is captured without over-compression or cracking.
• Compare welded versus bolted/riveted frame construction and select one.
• Specify fasteners, backing plates, spacing, edge distances, tightening guidance, and acrylic expansion clearance.
• Define gasket and sealant locations.
• Seal exposed door-core/cut edges and avoid liquid traps.
• Detail attachment to hollow-metal, solid-core, and fabricated PVC/metal doors.
• Add strain relief, removable closures, and retention features to all ports.
• Confirm total weight, hinge capacity, and two-person installation suitability.

2. Biomedical Engineer (Clinical Use and Safety)

• Confirm expected equipment, tubing, cables, and connector sizes with WHO-Techne.
• Define the larger transfer-opening requirements.
• Confirm port placement, strain relief, and clear viewing area.
• Verify cleanability and compatibility with hospital disinfectants.
• Review panel security, latch operation, emergency egress, clear opening, and bottom seal.
• Define clinical and facility acceptance criteria.

3. Procurement (Materials and Cost)

• Confirm regional availability of Z/L profiles, acrylic, gaskets, silicone bungs, sealants, fasteners, and backing plates.
• Source 1-inch PVC tubes/caps and 4-inch PVC cap fittings.
• Select non-porous, corrosion-resistant, and disinfectant-compatible materials with engineering approval.
• Update the September BOM while retaining the original/August BOM.
• Include quantities, specifications, suppliers, substitutes, lead times, and prices.
• Estimate material costs and list labor assumptions separately.

4. Technical Writer (Installation Documentation)

• Prepare concise, illustrated instructions covering:
  • Field measurement and door cutout
  • Cut-edge sealing
  • Frame and panel assembly
  • Gasket and sealant application
  • Port and strain-relief installation
  • Door hanging and hardware checks
  • Final cleaning
• Maintain consistent part names across drawings, BOM, and instructions.
• Add revision information and clearly document assumptions.
• Create a facility acceptance checklist covering fit, seals, panel security, ports, hardware, egress, and cleanability.

5. Research (Evidence and Field Input)

• Research acrylic mounting, expansion clearance, fastener spacing, and gasket compression.
• Compare welded and mechanically joined frame options for local fabrication.
• Check material and sealant compatibility with common hospital disinfectants.
• Gather field input on materials, fabrication tools, door types, and clinical equipment.
• Identify applicable door, glazing, infection-control, and emergency-egress guidance.

Priority Order

1. Finalize the Z-frame cross-section.
2. Confirm port and equipment requirements.
3. Confirm materials and update the BOM.
4. Complete the engineering drawings.
5. Prepare the installation instructions.
6. Build and validate the prototype.

[nk25719]

Open decisions requiring WHO-Techne input

• Deployment country/region and applicable door-sizing/code assumptions. Door material and existing door/frame conditions at deployment sites.
• Target quantity and target unit cost. (mass-produced or installed/fabricated on site by local vendors.)
• Final number, size, and type of pass-throughs based on the typical patient equipment list.

Acceptance criteria

This issue is complete when:

• CAD/drawing package with full assembly, cross-section, and exploded/installation views.
• All P1 requirements in the current requirements document are addressed or explicitly logged as unresolved risks.
• The BOM and cost estimate match the selected design and use regionally available alternatives.
• Installation instructions and the facility acceptance checklist can be followed without direct support from the design team. (Instructions are fully specified and documented.)
• Prototype/validation findings are recorded and necessary drawing/BOM/instruction revisions are incorporated.
• The assembly is clearly labeled: “Contact/droplet isolation only — NOT for airborne isolation.” and specify that use on a fire-rated opening is excluded.

Shared Prototype and Validation

• Build and install a prototype in a representative door opening.
• Test fit, panel retention, seals, hardware, strain relief, and disinfectant wipe-down.
• Have someone outside the design team perform installation using only the instructions.
• Record results and update the drawings, BOM, and installation guide.

References

Internal project documents:

• Requirements Document: Rapid Contact Isolation Containment System (RCICS) v1.0
• Project Plan: Rapid Contact Isolation Containment System (RCICS) v1.0
• RCICS Technical Design Review
• RCICS Bill of Materials

[nk25719]

Sept 18 results after meeting with @Yhya99:

Modeling direction:

• Use a rigid transparent viewing panel (Plexiglas/acrylic) in a fully framed portal.
• The portal/window should be installed into the door opening as a framed assembly. (MDF door at core)

1- Define how the sandwich frame mounts to the door leaf.

2- Cover and seal all exposed door-core or cut-edge material: use silicon to seal all exposed pores.
3- Avoid liquid traps, inaccessible crevices, and exposed porous surfaces: the door and frame are flat on the infected side of the door.
4- Confirm that fasteners and frame do not interfere with hinges, latch hardware, door frame, or swing.
5- Provide at least 3 sealable pass-through ports for medical tubing, IV lines, and power cabling.

[nk25719]

Door-building tutorial shared after the meeting

[nk25719]

Sept 19:

mentioned in https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14h-tCQxpLAERYFAuGUM0dyujd37z1dTf > https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TUykkEZwTdj0ppQpAdu1XL3nC7KI0kbC/edit :
info needed at the design stage.

Two questions were answered, the document states:

• converts an existing standard facility door
• engage local builders/vendors for fabrication and installation.

Covered points:

• Replacement of an existing swinging door leaf (and, where needed, minor frame modification) in an existing opening

Contradictory and need clarification

• A viewing panel for staff to visually monitor the patient without entry
• Three or more pass-through ports for medical tubing/lines (oxygen concentrator hose, IV lines) and power cabling
• A strain-relief mechanism at each pass-through to prevent accidental pulling, dislodging, or disconnection of lines
• Non-porous surfaces and seals suitable for surface decontamination between patients or during use
• Design guidance (drawings and instructions) sufficient for local builders/vendors to fabricate and install with commonly available materials and tools

more helpful items : covered under functional requirements:

• Assembly shall fit within common existing interior door openings (assumed nominal 32″ and 36″ wide × 80″ tall single-leaf openings) without requiring structural framing changes.
• Assembly shall include a transparent viewing panel sized and positioned to allow a staff member to view the patient bed area from the corridor.
• Assembly shall provide at least 3 pass-through ports.
• Each pass-through shall include a strain-relief/securement feature (e.g., grommet with clamp, cable gland, hook-and-loop retention channel) that prevents tension on the corridor side from displacing or disconnecting the line on the patient side.
• Pass-throughs can be sealable when not in use (e.g., a removable plug or gasket) to preserve the non-porous barrier.
• Assembly shall provide at least 1 pass-through opening to transfer large materials, i.e. meals. <<< notice we need to put back a large hole
• All exposed surfaces of the assembly (door face, frame interface, viewing panel, pass-through fittings) shall be non-porous and rated for repeated wipe-down disinfection.
  Door leaf shall retain a functioning latch/handle allowing entry and egress without entrapment risk.
• Assembly shall be installable using tools and skills reasonably available to a local general contractor/carpenter, without specialized fabrication equipment.
• Assembly shall not be airtight; it shall permit sufficient passive air exchange to prevent heat, humidity, and CO₂ buildup in an occupied suite, while remaining consistent with the contact/droplet (non-airborne) scope. |
• Assembly shall provide a clear opening sufficient to move a standard patient bed/gurney into and out of the suite (target clear width to be confirmed for the deployment region)
• Assembly shall carry durable, clearly visible labeling stating intended use and key limitations, at minimum: "Contact/droplet isolation only — NOT for airborne isolation," plus single-use vs. reusable status once determined.
• Assembly shall include a bottom seal/sweep or threshold detail that limits fluid migration under the door, consistent with the contact/droplet (fluid) containment purpose, without defeating the FR-10 air-exchange requirement

Additionally

the document clearlg notes that: Helpful Engineering should produce at least two viable configurations so WHO-Techne can select based on local cost/availability.

@Yhya99