Looking for help with load calculation for hinge.

[hinged]

Thank you for taking the time to assist. I'm not a mechanical engineer and it has been 30 years since college.
I've been asked to arrive at a method of determing the load carrying capacity of a 3 piece full length continuous hinge with a specified door size and weight.
The hinge is aluminum 6063-T6 and is constructed of two leaves that are held together with a full length extruded channel.The vertcial load of the door is supported by plastic bearings spaced every 2-9/16" apart for the full length of the hinge, which can be from 7 feet to 10 feet tall. The hinge is attached to the frame and door with #12 x 1/2 lg self tapping screws.The fastener qty can vary from 38 to 50 depending on length of hinge. Screw location will also vary with hinge length.
The frame and doors are usually 16 ga steel.
Is there a "canned" formula that data can be plugged into?
Any and help is welcomed and thank you in advance.
Where do i begin?

 

[EnglishMuffin]

Don't think I've ever seen a hinge like that (not that that means much!). So if I understand it correctly, there are at least four potential failure modes:
1. The plastic bearings could deform, break or wear out
2. The channel (which presumably performs the function normally provided by a through pin) could fail by bending and/or breaking
3. The "leaves", which somehow must interlock with the "channel" could fail by bending and/or breaking
4. The screws could break or pull out
Does that sound right to you ? Have I visualized it correctly ?
If so, I don't think you will find a "canned formula" for it. But it can certainly be analyzed.

 

[hinged]

EnglishMuffin,
You are correct.
The leaves have what I would consider a bearing journal and the channel has two balls(extruded the full length of the channel) that interlock(the channel slides over the two leaves) with this journal in each leaf.
I'd like to be able to insert values into a formula to arrive at a safe load for the hinge.
One other thought, the fasteners are either self tappint screws or they can be wood screws, again #12 x 1-1/4 lg.
Thhnaks for any assistance.

 

[EnglishMuffin]

I may be "correct" - but still can't quite visualize it - don't understand quite what you mean by "extrude two balls the full length of the channel". Its the sort of thing that needs a drawing really. There is a way to post images, which I personally have never mastered (see the editing tips which appear in the "preview post" mode).
It would seem to me that the hinge may have a somewhat limited opening swing compared to a conventional design, although I could be wrong. Is this something new, or has it been around a while ?
In analyzing this design, one first has to determine what the weak link is, and what constitutes "failure". Failure could be rapid wear, for example. There may be some wear between the channel and leaf components, which are both Aluminum, hopefully anodised. And the greatest loads that need to be resisted in service by the critical parts of the door may in fact be caused by rough handling or abuse. That's why it would help to know if its a completely new concept, or if you have some field experience with it.
I take it that the weight of the door is mainly carried by the multiplicity of plastic bearings, which need to be toleranced such that they share the load. But there is also a moment load to consider, which I assume has to be carried by the channel shape. As I say, I think it needs a drawing, but maybe others can visualize it better than I.