The presence of gentle slopes at the entrances provide people with limited mobility with free access to residential and public buildings along with healthy people. Therefore, such structures should create all the necessary conditions for a free entrance without any restrictions.
According to existing regulations, each public building must have at least one entrance equipped with a special inclined surface called a ramp for wheelchairs.
In recent years, in the Russian Federation, these issues have received much attention from the legislative structures. The adopted legislative standards contain articles requiring the mandatory construction of special structures and facilities for the movement of people in wheelchairs.
Existing types of ramps
According to the constructive installation options, all gentle slopes can be divided into stationary and removable, designed for temporary use. Stationary structures can have a fixed fixed or folding design. Fixed ramps for the disabled in public buildings are installed at the entrances, lifts to the first floor and in common areas.
Folding systems are used in porches or on other staircases of small width and length. In these cases, the rotary ramp sheets or frames are installed vertically against the wall, secured with a latch and lowered to the working position only if it is necessary for a disabled person to travel.
Removable models are used as mobile exits for installation in any place if necessary. The most common are three portable structural versions:
- telescopic ramps for the disabled, with adjustable length;
- folding ramp, characterized by low weight;
- Roll-up ramps foldable into a roll and fit easily in the trunk of a car.
As a separate variety, mention should be made of retractable structures installed on public transport. You can activate such a device by simply pressing a button or the driver of the vehicle will do it from its place.
Designs of stationary slopes
A capitally installed ramp for wheelchairs is a building structure made of concrete, stone materials or metal, having a flat surface with a standard angle of inclination. At the upper and lower points of such a structure are horizontal platforms for a possible stop after descent or ascent. They greatly facilitate the process of using an inclined staircase.
The requirements of the rules and regulations determine the installation of ramps in all cases of mismatch of the contour lines of adjacent surfaces of more than 50 mm. With a height difference of more than 200 mm, the structure should consist of three main elements:
- top horizontal platform;
- downhill for movement;
- bottom pad or flat, hard surface.
The dimensions of the stopping platforms and the width of the ramp should correspond to the dimensions of the manufactured strollers. In the case of an inclined descent length of more than 9 meters, an intermediate turning platform is provided, from which the second marching rise begins.
With a difference of less than 200 mm, horizontal platforms are not installed, and the driveway design is a simplified rolling bridge. In some cases, with extremely cramped space, the erection of screw structures or the installation of mechanical lifts is allowed.
The track and platforms from the outside should be fenced with stable rails with a normalized height. To ensure stability, a stationary ramp, like any major building construction, must have a supporting foundation capable of carrying a given weight load.
Current building codes
The requirements for the design of ramp slopes for the movement of wheelchairs are determined by three current documents:
- SNiP 35-01-2012;
- Code of Rules 59.13330.2012;
- GOST R 51261-99.
The SNiP details all the design requirements for the sizes of ramps for the disabled under stationary installation conditions. The required angles of inclination of the marches, their width, maximum length, dimensions of the platforms and additional installation elements in the form of railing, safety rails and other are indicated.
The Code of Rules (SP) is a more relevant extended edition of SNiP. The standards indicated in it differ slightly in the direction of decreasing the angles of inclination of the ramp track and its maximum length, increasing the width of the passage and the dimensions of the platforms, the installation of additional elements to ensure greater safety and convenient use.
However, it should be borne in mind that SNiP is legislatively higher in technical directions than the joint venture. Therefore, if the technical specifications and design documentation do not stipulate the performance of work according to the requirements of the Code of Rules, then the usual standards are met.
The requirements of the State Standard and SNiP for the installation of ramps are identical, but a feature of GOST is a more detailed description of the installation of railings. It clearly indicates in which cases the installation of the railing is mandatory and sets out detailed requirements for their design.
Standard dimensions and designs
The lifting height of one span is not more than 800 mm. This value provides a horizontal length of the maximum possible descent up to 9.0 m. The width of the ramp for wheelchair users with movement in only one direction is from 1,500 mm, in the case of an oncoming intersection - from 1,800 mm.
The optimum width is 2000 mm. At the edge of the track, a side 50 mm high or a metal tube at a height of 100 mm is installed.
The manufacture of two-track design options is allowed only in cases of individual use. In the area of public development, ramp descents must have a single continuous coverage. To lift the accompanying assistant, a strip of steps up to 400 mm wide is allowed in the middle of the track.
Limit angles of descent
The slope of the ramp for the disabled according to new standards cannot exceed 8% -15%. This means that for one meter of horizontal length, the rise is 8-15 cm. In construction practice, an indicator of 10% is taken as the optimal slope and only increased if it is impossible to make another decision.
The maximum height difference should never exceed 18%.
On existing stairs, the installation of ramps is prohibited due to inconsistency of the slope with regulatory requirements.
Site Requirements
All ramps are equipped with entrance, upper and, if necessary, intermediate platforms. According to the instructions of SP 59.13330.2012, their sizes should correspond to the following indicators:
- width - not less than 1850 mm;
- the depth at the doors opening inside the building is 1400 mm and outside - 1500 mm;
- the size of the place for the stroller to turn is from 2200 mm.
When opening the entrance doors to the outside, the dimensions of the site should take into account the possibility of maneuvering the wheelchair at this moment. Therefore, the width or depth can be increased.
To exclude possible icing of structures located in the open air and not having a canopy, their surface should be covered with anti-slip material or have a heater working in the cold season.
The width of the intermediate pad must match the size of the tracks that fit to it. Recommended planning solutions correspond to the following sizes:
- on a single direct march - 900x1400 mm;
- with a track width of 900 mm and the presence of a turn of 90 degrees - 1400x1400 mm;
- with a descent width of 1400 mm and a change in direction at a right angle - 1400x1500 mm;
- at intermediate sites with a full turn - 1500x1800 mm.
To provide a more convenient movement of the stroller, the configuration of the turntable can be oval on one side. The edges of the intermediate sites, as well as the tracks, must have a lower frame in the form of a side or a metal pipe.
Fencing elements
Determination of the height, mounting and type of construction of the ramp rails should be carried out in accordance with the requirements set forth in GOST R 51261-99. Any side of the ramp and platform in the absence of an adjacent wall should be fenced. The design of fences should provide for the presence of single or uneven paired handrails, railings and enclosing sides. Regulatory requirements for fences:
- installation on all sections of inclined paths and horizontal platforms;
- the height of the main handrails is 700 mm from the surface of the ramp, auxiliary - 900 mm;
- the location of the handrails should be in the form of a solid line at the same distance from the descent surface;
- fastening of protections is made only from the external end side;
- at the end of the lower march, the railing and handrails should protrude 300 mm;
- the cross-section of the handrails is round, with a transverse diameter of 30-50 mm.
The material of the construction of the fence must be protected from possible corrosion and have sufficient mechanical strength to resist lateral loads.
How to make a ramp yourself
The installation of a folding ramp for the disabled at the entrance does not require approval from the residents. According to the law, every person with limited mobility has the right to create conditions that allow him to move around his home. The only rule is that the installed structure should not interfere with other people living in this entrance.
The slope of the entrance along the rails installed on a standard flight of stairs, of course, does not meet regulatory requirements. But, in the presence of an attendant, the presence of a folding ramp for the disabled on the flight of stairs greatly facilitates the process of lifting in a wheelchair.
In addition, the length of the flight of stairs on the first floor usually does not exceed 6 steps. But after this, the wheelchair user will be able to freely enter the apartment or use the elevator to go up to the upper floors.
Necessary materials and tools
To make a double-track folding ramp for lifting to the ground floor area, you will need to purchase:
- two bent metal channels No. 18-24 with a wall thickness of 3-4 mm or 4 unequal corners 100x65 mm long equal to the length of the flight of stairs;
- profile pipe 25x50 mm long ницы stairs;
- 3 steel door hinges;
- 2 meters of profile pipe 25x32 mm;
- steel strip 50x2.5 mm - 0.5 meters;
- anchor bolts for attaching the structure to the wall;
- rotary or sliding latch;
- welding electrodes.
Please note that for the manufacture of the ramp, it is recommended to use not a heavy hot-rolled, but a bent thin-walled channel. It is much lighter, and its rigidity and strength are enough to support the weight of the stroller and the person without deflection. In order to reduce the cost, the channel can be replaced by two unequal corners welded along a wide shelf and forming a U-shaped structure.
From the tool it is necessary to have a welding machine, a grinder, a hammer, a hammer and a mount.
Work order
Lay the channel on the ladder so that its plane is in contact with all the steps, and the lower edge rests on the floor of the entrance entrance platform. Make level marks of the upper step, the empty space below the first and last risers, as well as in the middle between the last two marks.
In these three places the connecting jumpers from the profile pipe will be welded, they should not rest against the steps of the flight of stairs. Thereafter:
- attach the second channel to the marked one, copy the marks and cut off the excess length with the grinder;
- put the channel with a wide shelf upwards so that the central longitudinal axes correspond to the distance between the wheels of the wheelchair;
- measure the distance between the outer edges of the channels and add 300-400 mm to this value, as a result you get the size of the workpieces for the connecting transverse jumpers;
- cut from the profile pipe 25x32 mm three pieces of the required length and weld to them T-shaped cross-pieces from the same pipe, equal in length to the size of the swivel loops;
- weld the hinges on one side to the cross members;
- put the jumper blanks on the previously marked marks so that one edge coincides with the edge of the channel, and the second, with the cross member, extends 30-40 cm outside the structure;
- weld the jumpers to the channels;
- lay the profile pipe 25x50 mm wide on the stairs with the wide side to the wall and securely fasten it with anchor bolts;
- attach the assembled rotary frame of the ramp to the fixed pipe with loops and make several welding tacks;
- after that, raise the ramp vertically and perform the final welding of the loops to the pipe;
- for a smooth exit from the channel, weld on its edges small flat plates at the floor level;
- at the last stage, a fixing latch or valve is installed, the installation of which depends on its design;
- after installation, all the elements of the ramp must be covered with soil and painted.
As you can see from the instructions, installing a rotary ramp at the entrance to the ramp is not particularly difficult, but to complete the work it is necessary to have welding and locksmith skills.