MECH3005 Building

g Services
http://www.hku.hk/bse/mech3005/

Lift and Escalators:

Basic Principles and Design
Dr. Sam C M Hui
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Hong Kong
E-mail:
E
mail: cmhui@hku.hk
cmhui@hku hk
Sep 2010

Contents
Basic Principles
Planning & Design Factors
System Types

Tall buildings are not possible without lifts and escalators

484 m ((2010))

296 m (1993)

Landmark
L
d
k Tower,
T
Yokohama, Japan
(max. lift speed
750 m/min or
12.5 m/s)

367 m (1990)

Bank of China
Building,
Hong Kong

374 m (1992)

Central
C
t l Plaza,
Pl
Hong Kong

415 m (2003)

IInternational
t
ti l
Finance Centre
Two (IFC-2),
Hong Kong

IInternational
t
ti l
Commerce Centre
(ICC),
Hong Kong

Basic Principles
Terminology
Lifts [UK] = Elevators [US]
Escalators (= moving staircases)
Conveyors (or moving walkways)

Hoists (early form of lift system)

Power elevator (steam)

Basic Principles
Escalator
Escalator = Elevator
Elevator + Scala
Scala (steps)
First escalator: designed by Jesse Reno in 1892

Ocean Park (longest outdoor escalator, total 220 m)

Central-Mid-Levels
Escalator, total 790 m

Basic Principles
Principles of operation
How Elevators Work
h //
http://www.howstuffworks.com/elevator.htm
h
ff
k
/ l
h
How Escalators Work
http://www.howstuffworks.com/escalator.htm

* Please find out how they work from these websites.

Power flow through a typical elevator

[Source: How an elevator works

http://web.mit.edu/2.972/www/reports/elevator/elevator.html]

[Source: http://www.howstuffworks.com/]

Planning & Design Factors

Circulation/Movement of ppeople
p in buildings
g
Mode (horizontal or vertical)
Movement
M
t type
t
(natural
( t l or mechanically
h i ll assisted)
i t d)
Human behaviour (complex, unpredictable)

Design objectives

Free flow of people & goods

Safe operation, comfort & service
Occupy minimum space & require less costs
Aesthetics, disabled access, etc.

Planning & Design Factors

Circulation elements in buildings include:

Corridors
Portals (e.g. entrance, door, gate)
Stairways
Ramps
Lifts
Escalators
Moving walkways
* Try to identify them in a building

Physical or
architectural
elements

Mechanical or
engineering
elements

G/F plan of a commercial building

Can you find
out all the
circulation
elements?

[Source: Hongkong Land]

Planning & Design Factors

Human factors
Physical dimensions
Occupancy ellipse 600 mm by 450 mm (0.21
(0 21 m2)

Personal space (buffer zone)

Female: 0.5
0 5 m2 (0.8
(0 8 m diameter circle)
Male: 0.8 m2 (1.0 m diameter circle)

Density of occupation

Desirable: 0.4 person/m2

Comfortable: 1.0
1 0 person/m2
Dense: 2.0 person/m2
Crowding:
Crowding : 3.0
3 0 person/m2
Crowded: 4.0 person/m2

Typical occupancy ellipse (male subject)

[Source: CIBSE Guide D]

Planning & Design Factors

Human factors
Interpersonal distances

Public distance: > 7.5 m (far); 3.6-7.5 m (near)

Social distance: 2.1-3.6 m (far); 1.2-2.1 m (near)
Personal distance: 0.75-1.2 m (far); 0.45-0.75 m (near)
Intimate distance: < 00.45
45 m

[Source: CIBSE Guide D]

[Source:
Strakosch,
G R
G.
R., 1998
1998.
The Vertical
Transportation
Handbook]

Planning & Design Factors

Major design concerns
Circulation efficiency
Location & arrangement (prevent bottlenecks)
Coordination with lobby, stairway & corridor

Fire & safety regulations

Handling
H dli capacity
it (quantity
(
tit off service)
i )
Interval or waiting
g time (quality
(q
y of service))

Consideration by lift functions

Passenger, goods, firemen, shuttle, observation

Typical design of protected lift lobby

Fire door (one
hour rated)

(shall be free of smoke)

[Source: CIBSE Guide D]

Staircase
(escape route)

Planning & Design Factors

Escalator typical design
Speed: 0.5 and 0.65 m/s, up to 0.9-1.0 m/s on deep
systems like
lik subway
b
Stepp widths: 600,, 800 & 1000 mm;; min. stepp or
tread length = 400 mm
Inclination: usually at angle 30o
35o if rise < 6 m & speed < 0.5 m/s

Boarding and alighting areas

Safe boarding,
boarding 1.33
1 33 2.33
2 33 flat steps

Typical escalator design

[Source: Building Services Handbook]

Planning & Design Factors

Escalator typical applications
Low- to medium-rise buildings
Large no. of people e.g. airports, subway stations,
p
stores,, shopping
pp g malls
department

Escalator arrangements

Parallel
Multiple parallel
Cross-over or criss-cross
Walkaround

Planning & Design Factors

Escalator: handlingg capacity
p y
N = (3600 x P x V x cos ) / L

N = no
no. of persons moved per hour
P = no. of persons per step
V = escalator
l t speedd (m/s)
( /)
L = length of step (m)
= angle
l off incline
i li

Ce = 60 V k s

(persons/minutes)

V = speed along the incline (m/s)

g density
y of people
p p (people/step)
(p p
p)
k = average
s = number of escalator steps per metre

System Types
Passenger lifts
Different requirements in various building types
Like commercial, hotels, hospitals, residential

Grouping
p g of passenger
p
g lifts
Position & layout

Machine
M hi room/space
/
Hydraulic lifts: ideally at the lowest level
Electric traction lifts: directly above the lift well
Machine room-less lifts

System Types
Observation lifts
Glazed or partially glazed lift car within a glazed
or open
open-sided
sided lift well
Also called wallclimber, scenic, glass, panoramic
or bubble
b bbl lifts
lift
Within an atrium or external to the building
Design considerations
Visual impact (attracting sightseers)
Lift speed & handling capacity
Space requirements & maintenance

System Types
Lifts for the aged & disabled
Provision for wheelchair

Good lifts & service lifts

Car sizes,
sizes payloads,
payloads well dimensions

Dumbwaiter ((e.g.
g in restaurants))
Stair lifts
Inclined lifts
Scissor lifts

[Source: CIBSE Guide D]

Scissor lifts

System Types
Passenger
g conveyors
y
Other names: travelators, autowalks, moving
walkway moving pavement
walkway,
Practical limit about 300 m distance
Useful
U f l in
i large
l
airport
i
t terminals
t
i l

Design factors
May be inclined up to about 15o
Speed between 0.6 to 1.3 m/s (combined with walking,
the overall pace is 2.5 m/s)
Materials must be flexible or elastic (e.g. reinforced
rubber
bb or iinterlaced
l d steell plates)
l
)

Moving walkway
[Source: Mitsubishi Elevator and Escalator, http://www.mitsubishi-elevator.com/]