VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION

IN BUILDINGS
• Vertical and horizontal transportation means that transportation that is used to
transport people and goods from one level to another for example vertical, and
one point to another same level point such as horizontal.
• The use of this transportation will save time and energy of human being in our
everyday life. Other than that, it is also useful and convenient especially to
elderly and people who are lugged down by their shopping load or luggage.
• This type of transportations can be found in various office buildings, shopping
complexes, airport terminal, and many more.
• There are various types of vertical and horizontal transportations.
• For vertical transportation consists of elevator and escalator, while for
horizontal is travelator
ELEVATORS
 An elevator (or lift in British
English) is a type of
vertical transport equipment that
efficiently moves people or goods
between floors (levels, decks) of a
building, vessel or other structures.
 Elevators are generally powered by
electric motors that either drive
traction cables or counterweight
systems like a hoist, or pump
hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical
piston like a jack.
BRIEF HISTORY
 The first reference to an elevator is in the
works of the Roman architect Vitruvius, who
reported that Archimedes (c. 287 BC – c. 212
BC) built his first elevator probably in 236 BC.
 In some literary sources of later historical
periods, elevators were mentioned as cabs on
a hemp rope and powered by hand or by
animals.
 It is supposed that elevators of this type were
installed in the Sinai monastery of Egypt.
 Ancient and medieval elevators used drive
systems based on hoists or winders.
 In the middle 1800s, there were many types of
crude elevators that carried freight. Most of
them ran hydraulically.
 The first hydraulic elevators used a plunger
below the car to raise or lower the elevator.
 A pump applied water pressure to a steel
column inside a vertical cylinder. Increasing the
pressure caused the elevator to ascend.
 The plunger, however, was not practical for tall
buildings, because it required a pit as deep
below the building as the building was tall.
 Later, a rope-geared elevator with multiple
pulleys was developed.
• In 1852, Elisha Otis introduced the safety elevator,
which prevented the fall of the cab if the cable broke.
The design of the Otis safety elevator is somewhat
similar to one type still used today.

Elisha Otis demonstrating his

safety system, Crystal Palace,
1853

Elisha Otis's
elevator patent drawing,
January 15, 1861

• The first electric elevator was built by Werner von Siemens in 1880 in Germany.
• The electric elevator was patented by Alexander Miles in 1887,

• The first elevator in India was installed at the Raj Bhavan in Calcutta (now Kolkata)
by Otis in 1892.
ELEVATORING A BUILDING: ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSIDERATIONS ARE -

1.Location in building
2.Planning Serving floors & Grouping
3.Size – Lift Dimension
4.Shape of passenger car
5.Door arrangement etc
LOCATION IN BUILDINGS:
 It is recommended that the walking distance between the entrance of office
and the lift group should not be greater than 6Om, preferably this should be
kept to 45m maximum.
 When lifts are arranged in a group it is recommended that all the lifts in that
should serve the same floors
 The location of goods and service lifts will depend on their function, but
they should not open into passenger lift or public areas.
 PLANNING – SERVING FLOORS AND GROUPING
 Designing and Planning Considerations:
• In larger, multistory buildings it is usual to locate the lifts at a central
pedestrian circulation point.
• Lobbies in front of lift shaft entrances must be designed and arranged.
• For a lobby in front of a single lift, the available min depth between the wall of
the lift shaft door and the opposite wall, measured in the direction of the lift car
must be at least the same as the depth of the lift car itself.
• The building and its function dictate the basic type of lifts which need to be
provided.
• Lifts are mechanical installations which are required to have a long service life.
 PLANNING – SERVING FLOORS AND GROUPING
 Elevators serving single zone of upper floors should be grouped in plan with
interlinked controls.
 Arrangement of lobbies should allow waiting passenger move rapidly to
whichever car arrives first.
 No more than 4 elevator entrances should be alongside each other, facing
entrances should be 2500-3500 apart.
 Elevator entrances should not lie on opposite sides of circulation route.
 In large building lobby area tends to be 5-6 sqm. per elevator on upper floors
and 15-20 sq.m per elevator at ground floor with single group of elevators.
For efficient performances under heavy flows of traffic number of
stops made by elevator cars should be kept minimum.
In large building there should be single main loading floor, passengers
entering building at other levels should be brought by secondary
circulation to main lobby at ground level.
 In residential building and hotels noise to be generated by elevators
must be considered at early stage.
 Bedroom should be remote from machine room and walls carrying
landing door equipment should not be adjacent to them.
 Risk of noise carried through structural continuity should be
examined.
LIFT DIMENSIONS
 Standard elevator dimensions for the regular passenger style
elevators vary.
 However, the most common size has a 2500 lb capacity and a floor
area of about 27.1 sq ft, that's about 4.5 feet by 6 feet.
 The ASME 17.1 Elevator Safety Code restricts the maximum floor
area. [American Society of Mechanical Engineers.]
 The larger the elevator the more weight it must be able to hold.
 In addition, depending upon the use of the elevator it's shape and
size will vary.
 Hospital elevators, for instance, are deeper and have more floor
space in order to accommodate metal stretchers and /or other
hospital equipment.
*Full form of lb is Libra(Latin word) meaning 'scales, balances‘.
Libra is a Roman unit of mass measurement. 1Roman Libra =
327 grams]
 There are vehicle elevators, boat elevators and even aircraft elevators.
 For example, many lifts must comply with the DDA (Disability
Discrimination Act) regulations for disabled access and therefore must
accommodate a wheelchair user with an additional person.
 With this in mind, it is recommended that a lift car be no smaller than
1100mm x 1400mm.
 Even this does not allow for the wheelchair to movement inside the lift
car so if the lift really cannot be bigger, a mirror should be provided to
enable the wheelchair user to easily see what level the lift is currently
on.
 Larger lift sizes of around 2000mm x 1400mm are more preferable and
allow most types of wheelchair and several standing passengers to ride
in the car at one time.
 The larger the lift though and the longer the journey (the taller the
building) other concerns arise such as fitting fold-away seating or perch
seats for passenger comfort.
 Generally speaking, the lift doors should be at least 800-900mm wide to
allow passengers easy access, and an area of 900mm square should be
allowed for clearance on each level outside the lift doors.
 The smallest size is 1000mm x 1250mm and can support a load of up to
450kg.
 The largest Maxilift is 2000mm x 1400mm and can take up to 1200kg in
weight.
 The Xtralift range is for more demanding applications and is designed
to cope with 17-33 people.
 The sizes range from 1950mm x 1400mm to a relatively huge 1800mm x
2700mm.
 To determine the average number of passengers the lift will need to
transport and what speed it should travel at and this will help a great
deal in choosing the correct size passenger lift.
 The size of an elevator depends upon its rated carrying capacity, which is
determined by the net inside area according to the requirements of the
national elevator code, ANSI A17.1.
 Consider the use of the elevator when selecting a size.
 Office and residential elevators are designed to carry people and have a
shape that is wider than it is deep.
 This helps keep passengers near the doors and reduces transfer time.
 Healthcare facilities usually require this same passenger shape for
moving pedestrian traffic, but also need larger cars for moving patients
and equipment.
 In larger commercial or residential buildings, elevators may also need to
accommodate frequent moving of materials, such as furniture, building
materials, etc.
 In this case, at least one elevator should be larger, similar to a
hospital elevator in shape and size.
 The recent Americans with Disabilities Act has set minimum elevator
car sizes for those buildings covered.
 Minimum car depth is 51 inches and minimum car width is either 68
or 80 inches depending on door type.
 Trends over the past 20 years have been towards larger car sizes.
Office buildings commonly now have elevators with capacities of
3,500 pounds to allow for more passenger room and comfort.
 Residential buildings typically have a minimum capacity of 2,500
pounds and may have larger cars in buildings with more expensive
units.
 Healthcare facilities now require elevators with a capacity of 6,000
pounds in order to accommodate a patient with accompanying staff
and monitoring equipment.
The following are suggested inside dimensions and rated capacities:
 Office buildings: 6 feet 8 inches wide by 5 feet 5 inches deep; 3,500
pounds.
 Apartment buildings: 6 feet 8 inches wide by 4 feet 3 inches deep;
2,500 pounds
 Hotels/motels: 6 feet 8 inches wide by 5 feet 5 inches deep; 3,500
pounds.
 Service elevators: 5 feet 4 inches wide by 8 feet 5 inches deep; 4,500
pounds.
 Hospital passenger elevators: 6 feet 8 inches wide by 5 feet 5 inches
deep; 3,500 pounds.
 Hospital vehicle elevators: 5 feet 9 inches wide by 10 feet deep; 6,000
pounds.
PASSENGER LIFTS DIMENSIONS
DUMBWAITERS ELEVATORS
HOSPITAL ELEVATORS
GOODS ELEVATORS
DOOR ARRANGEMENT
 The most efficient door is that one opens and closes in
minimum time and allows two persons to enter or leave an
elevator simultaneously.
 The doors must also be reasonably economical and adaptable
to efficient platform sizes.
 The 48 inches [1200mm] center opening doors meet most of
these requirements and is recommended for high quality
elevators when optimum performance is required.
 SINGLE SLIDE

TWO SPEED SIDE OPENING

SINGLE SPEED CENTER OPENING

TWO SPEED CENTER OPENING

 Single Side Left Hand Single Side Right Hand Single Slide Center Opening

2-Speed Center Opening 2-Speed Left Hand 2-Speed Right Hand

3-Speed Left Hand 3-Speed Right Hand
 It can fit the average 86 inches [2200mm] wide platform and can
be opened in slightly less than 2 seconds.

Because of each panel of the door is

half the weight of entire door [ no
more than100 lb- 45 kg or so per
panel ] and the distance travelled is
only half the opening width, the 48
inches [1200mm] center opening door
can be closed in 2.9 seconds within
this kinetic energy limitations.
 Doors 42 inches [1100 mm ]&less can be considered one person
doors.
 Note how awkward it becomes for two people to pass each
other, the natural tendency is to allow one person to leave while
the other holds up the elevator service until he or she can enter.
 Wider doors are often necessary for special purposes, such as the
60 inches [ 1550mm ] door on a hospital elevator that must
accommodate a hospital bed with an attendant, or on a service
elevator that must accommodate wide containers or cart.
 In apartment houses the economy of the single slide door
prevails.
 Because passengers are expected to move at a somewhat
leisurely place, some efficiency may be justifiably sacrificed for
economy.
 To effectively allow a wheel chair or ambulance stretcher to
enter or leave an elevator, door width should be a minimum of
42 inches [1100mm].
SERVICE REQUIREMENTS OF ELEVATORS
QUALITY /QUANTITY OF SERVICE
 Quality Factor => Waiting Time

 Quantity Factor=> Handling Capacity

Quality of service (or interval) is the expected average

interval (in seconds) between the arrivals of elevators at
the main floor
 load capacity smaller than eight persons is unsuitable for
disabled person in a wheel chair and of limited usefulness for
furniture removal.
 In every type of building there is a critical elevator traffic
period.
 The type, direction and intensity of elevator traffic during this
period determines the quantity of elevator service for the
building.

 If the elevators serve, well traffic during the critical time, they
should be capable of satisfying traffic at all other times.

 Critical traffic periods vary with building types and in various

areas.
 The critical traffic period is often the morning in-rush,
complicated by persons who have arrived early and travelling
down.
 If the elevators are sufficient to serve the peak of that in rush
period, the rest of the day usually does not present a problem.
QUANTITY OF ELEVATORS:
 The general rules of thumb for estimating the number of
elevators are:
 For buildings with 3 or less elevator stops and gross area of less
than 5,000 m2, provide a single elevator.
 For buildings with 4 or more elevator stops and the gross area
above 5000 m2 provide two elevators
 Office buildings:
1. One elevator is required for every 5,000m²
2. The more dense the population, the more elevators needed.
4. The number of elevators in a single group should not exceed
eight and no single group should serve more than 16 levels.
5. In buildings of four to eight floors, a separate service elevator
should be considered.
6.Over nine floors, a service elevator is virtually required.
4. Upper-floor, special-use areas, such as cafeterias, mail rooms,
transfer bridges, etc., can increase the required number of
elevators.
Hotels/motels:
1. Provide one elevator for every
75 rooms with a minimum
of one elevator up to three
floors.
1. Do not exceed 150 feet from farthest room to elevator.
2. When room service is provided, allow for one separate service
elevator for every two passenger elevators.
3. Special-functions, meeting rooms, or lobby areas above entry
level can increase the number of elevators

Apartment / Condominium/Dormitory:
1. One elevator for every 90 units with a maximum distance of 150
feet from elevators to the most distant unit.
2. Urban locations or high-price units might require one elevator
for every 60 units.
3. Make one elevator oversize (at least 3,500 pounds) to
accommodate furniture. In buildings 10 floors or more, consider
a separate service elevator.
Healthcare facilities:
1. This type of building requires specific evaluation due to the
many types of facilities and specialized uses.
2. In buildings with consistent staff and visitor traffic, consider
separate passenger elevators.
3. Provide one passenger and one service/patient elevator for
every 100 beds and bassinets in a general hospital.
In all healthcare facilities, at least two elevators must be provided.
4. Additional elevators may be required if the building is located in
an urban area and/or two or more visitors per bed are
expected.
5. Additional elevators may be required if
operating areas, cafeterias, laundry, central
supplies, etc. are on upper levels.
TIME FACTORS
 Elevatoring requires consideration of all the time factors and
movements that take place during the operations providing
transportation for people and/or materials.
 These time factors must be related to a total time required for
the service, based on the actual or estimated demands.
 Efficient elevatoring requires minimizing the time factors to
maximize the service.
The time components of elevator round trip that will be studied
and evaluated are as follows:
 Loading time: The time required for a number of people to
board an elevator car, moving stairway or moving walk, or the
time required for loading material or a vehicle onto an elevator
or lift.
 Loading time must be considered under many conditions of
operation, consisting of narrow or wide elevator cars, wide doors
or narrow doors, arrangement of elevators and partially filled or
empty elevators.
 Transfer time: The time to unload [or reload ]an elevator at local
stop above the main landing.
 Transfer time is based on all the considerations of loading time
plus, essentially the density of the passenger or other load
remaining on the elevator, and the direction of the transfer-
either entering or leaving.
 These two elements loading and transfer time are the most
difficult to quantify because, in general these times are based on
the interaction of the people.
 Most elevators are held at a floor for a minimum period of time
based on the time it takes to exit and a separate time allowed
for entry.
 The Americans with disabilities legislation has mandated a
minimum of 3 seconds for a person to exit and an extended time
to enter, based on the location of the landing call button in
proximity to the entrance to an elevator.
 These factors must be considered in calculating total transfer
time.
PASSENGER HANDLING CAPACITY
 The average space per passenger in elevator cars means that
the elevator capacity – expressed in pounds [kilograms] and
translated to square feet [square meters] so that the car will
not exceed its rated load if packed full – must be arranged in
the best dimensions to accommodate the shape of the people.
 The arrangement of ranks and files has been found to be best,
and inside car dimensions shown in the table, for common size
passenger elevators have been adopted partially as industry
standards.
 For example, the average loading of a 3500 lb [1600 kg]
elevator is 16 passengers.
It can be noted from the
figure how these 16 people
may arrange themselves
inside the elevator car.
Of course the neat rank and
file is idealistic .
 In actual practice, the initial passengers generally arrange themselves with their
backs to the walls and subsequent passengers fill up the center.

 If with the same area, but with a different width and depth, may lead to awkward
unloading situations.

 More ranks of passengers now make access to the door difficult and generally
require someone to step out of the car to let others out.

 These complications add a time delay to each elevator stop, which accumulates
during the total trip and seriously reduces efficiency.
SPACE AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
 Wide elevator cabs are preferable to long ones.
 The door opening should not be less than 0.80 m. The inside of the
elevator should have a handrail on three sides mounted 0.80 to 0.85 m
from the floor
 The numerals on the floor selector buttons should be embossed so as to be
easily identifiable by touch.
 The door opening interval should be no less than five seconds. Re-opening
activators should be provided.
 The elevator should signal arrival at each floor by means of a bell and a
light to alert sightless and hearing-impaired passengers simultaneously
 Floor surface The floor of the elevator and the area in front of the elevator
on each floor should have a non skid resilient surface or a low-pile fixed
carpet.
 No piping or ductwork of any kind shall be permitted within hoistway or
elevator enclosures
MACHINE ROOM SPACE AND ITS TYPICAL LAYOUT.
 The preferred location for the traction elevator machinery is directly above the elevator
hoist way.

 For traction elevator applications this location can also be below, at the side or at the
rear.

 The machine room space for hydraulic elevators may be remote, with piping carrying the
oil to and from the elevator and the pumping unit.
Requirements for machine room :
•Adequately ventilated.
•Shall be such that the
equipments are protected as far
as possible from dust and
humidity.
•Temperature 5 deg c – 40 deg c
•Walls, ceiling, floor should be
finished in tiles or painted as a •The entrance door shall have sufficient opening to allow
min to stop dust circulation. for in & out of machines.
•Shall not be any common wall/slab between machine
room and water tank.
•Shall not be used as a store room or for any purpose
other than housing the machinery connected with the lift
installation.
•Shall not act as a passage to any other room or utility.
 The equipment in the machine room varies with the load the elevator must carry and
its speed.

 Some elevator manufacturers may include a group controller as part of each elevator
controller.

 Lighting and ventilation is also necessary.

 Reasonable access to and from the machine room should be provided.

 Mechanics must maintain the equipment and occasionally remove and replace the
parts.

 Space should be provided around each piece of electrical equipment.

 This space usually consists of 36 to 48 inches [900-1200mm] in front of the electrical

controllers depending on their location in relation to the walls or other equipment.

 Where these arrangements are provided, additional provisions must be made to allow
adequate access to this equipment for its examination, maintenance and inspection.
TYPES OF ELEVATOR
What is a Lift / Elevators ?

The lift / elevator is a type of vertical

transport equipment that efficiently moves
people or goods between floors (levels,
decks) of a building, vessel or other
structure.

Generally powered by electric motors that

either drive cables, hoist, or pump hydraulic
fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack.
 Basic terminologies..
• Elevator car : That part of an elevator that includes
the platform, enclosure, car frame, and door.

• Machine beam : A steel beam, positioned directly over

the elevator in the machine room and is used to support
elevator equipment.

• Machine room : This usually located at the top of the

shaft and accommodates the winding machine, etc.

• Pit : That part of an elevator shaft that extends from the

threshold level of the lowest landing door down to the
floor at the very bottom of the shaft.

• Shaft : A hoistway through which one or more elevator

cars may travel.

• Counterweight or balance-weight. A unit, consisting of

steel weights, which counter balance the weight of the car
and a portion of the load, and to which the suspension
ropes are attached.
Openings

Centre
opening
sliding

Collapsible

Single
sliding
Types of Elevators : Based on building types

Usage

Goods /
Passenger Vehicle Dumbwaiter Scissor
Freight lifts

Hospital Hotel
 Passenger lifts
Passenger elevator is designed to move people between floors of a building. Their capacity
is related to available floor space. Upto 8-10 floors these operate at 1m/s and above 10
floors the speed starts at 2.5 m/s to 10 m/s.
There are some types of passenger
elevators:-
Sky lobbies- an intermediate interchange floor
where people can change from an
express elevator that stops only at the sky lobby
to a local elevator which stops at every floor
within a segment of the building.

Express elevators- An express elevator does not

serve all floors. it moves between the ground
floor and a sky lobby.
Hospital lifts

Min. to Max. dimensions

Hospital elevators are distinguished by wider doors and larger platform sizes to allow
faster, more secure transport of people and equipment.
Hotels

Min. to Max dimensions for

Passenger lifts
Goods / Freight lifts

•Used to transport heavy goods but depends on types of good transported.

• Usually used in shopping complex, airports, hotels, warehouse.
Max. to Min. Goods lift dimension
 SERVICE ELEVATORS
 An elevator for carrying large or heavy items, or for the use of
service people.
 These types of elevators are usually designed with rugged
interiors and are intended to carry both passengers as well as
freight.
 These are meant specially for industrial Purpose .

 Goods lifts are of course made sturdy and rugged provided no

willful damage is done to it.
 Goods lifts for weight up to 5000 kgs.

 The size and capacity of the lifts can be as per required by the
client.
Vehicle lifts
•Used specifically to lift a car in multi storey car park or showroom.
•had to be in the form of traction and hydraulics.
•Form of traction is more commonly used for high velocity.
Dumbwaiter lifts
•Dumbwaiters are small freight elevators that are intended to carry food rather than
passengers.
•They often link kitchens with other rooms. •Avg height of the car ranges from
•When installed in restaurants, schools, 0.8m to 1.2m.
kindergartens, hospitals, retirement homes or
in private homes, the lifts generally terminate
in a kitchen.
Scissor lifts
•These lifts are self-contained, these lifts
can be easily moved to where they are
needed.

•They’re excellent for indoor and outdoor

construction, maintenance and installation
applications.

Features:
High load bearing capacity
Long life
Smooth operations
 Hydraulic elevators
• Hydraulic Lifts Hydraulic lifts work by the
action of a pumped fluid, normally oil.
Within a cylinder driving a piston which-is
attached to the lift car.
• The hydraulic lift is used in applications
where the maximum travel distance is
about 20m.
Hydraulic elevators are supported by a piston
at the bottom of the elevator that pushes the
elevator up as an electric motor forces oil or
another hydraulic fluid into the piston. The
elevator descends as a valve releases the
fluid from the piston. They are used for low-
rise applications of 2-8 stories and travel at a
maximum speed of 200 feet per minute. The
machine room for hydraulic elevators is
located at the lowest level adjacent to the
elevator shaft.
Working Principle
Hydraulic Elevators Types
Electric Traction Elevators
• This type of lift is driven by Wire ropes passing over a
driving wheel or sheave andconnected to the lift car and a
counterweight.
• The speed of these lifts can range from 0.5 m/s up to a
maximum of 10 m/s.
A counter weight makes the elevators more efficient by
offsetting the weight of the car and occupants so that the
motor doesn't have to move as much weight.
Geared Traction Elevators have a gearbox that is attached to
the motor, which drives the wheel that moves the
ropes. Geared traction elevators are capable of travel speeds
up to 500 feet per minute. The maximum travel distance for a
geared traction elevator is around 250 feet.
Gear-less Traction Elevators have the wheel attached directly to the motor. Gear-less
traction elevators are capable of speeds up to 2,000 feet per minute and they have a
maximum travel distance of around 2,000 feet so they are the only choice for high-rise
applications.
Comparison
Geared traction elevators are
•Middle of the road in terms of initial cost,
•Ongoing maintenance costs, and
•Energy consumption.
Gear-less traction elevators are
• high initial cost,
•medium ongoing maintenance costs, and
•use energy a bit more efficiently than
geared traction elevators.
Machine-Room-Less (MRL) Elevators

Machine-Room-Less Elevators are traction elevators that do not have a dedicated

machine room above the elevator shaft. The machine sits in the override space and is
accessed from the top of the elevator cab when maintenance or repairs are required. The
control boxes are located in a control room that is adjacent to the elevator shaft on the
highest landing and within around 150 feet of the machine.
Machine-room-less elevators have a maximum travel distance of up to 250 feet and
can travel at speeds up to 500 feet-per-minute. MRL elevators are comparable to
geared traction elevators in terms of initial and maintenance costs, but they have
relatively low energy consumption compared to geared elevators.

Machine-room-less elevators are becoming the most popular choice for mid-rise
buildings where the travel distance is up to 250 feet. They are energy efficient, require
less space, and their operation and reliability are on par with gear-less traction
elevators.
DOUBLE-DECK ELEVATOR
 Double-deck elevators are designed with two elevator cars that are attached, one
on top of the other.

 This allows passengers on two consecutive floors to be able to use the elevator
simultaneously, significantly increasing the passenger capacity of an elevator shaft.

 Such a scheme can prove efficient in buildings where the volume of traffic would
normally have a single elevator stopping at every floor.

 An example, a passenger may board one elevator (which serves only odd-numbered
floors) on the third floor while another passenger may board another elevator
(which serves even-numbered floors) on the fourth floor.
SKY LOBBY

 A sky lobby is an intermediate floor where people can change from an

express elevator that stops only at the sky lobby to a local elevator which stops at
every floor within a segment of the building.

 When designing very tall (supertall) buildings supplying enough elevators is a

problem – travellers wanting to reach a specific higher floor may conceivably have to
stop at a very large number of other floors on the way up to let other passengers off
and on.

 This increases travel time, and indirectly requires many more elevator shafts to still
allow acceptable travel times – thus reducing effective floor space on each floor
for all levels.

 (The other main technique to increase usage without adding more elevator shafts
is double-deck elevators.)
ESCALATORS
An escalator is a power-driven, continuous moving stairway designed to transport

passengers up and down short vertical distances.

Escalators are used around the world to move pedestrian traffic in places where

elevators would be impractical.

LANDING PLATFORMS

 An escalator consists of top and bottom landing platforms connected by a metal

truss.

TOP PLATFORM BOTTOM PLATFORM

The top platform contains the
motor assembly and the main drive gear.

The bottom platform holds the step

return idler sprockets
 The platforms contain a floor and comb plate.

COMB PLATE

FLOOR PLATE
FLOOR PLATE

The floor plate provides a place for the

passengers to stand before they step onto
the moving stairs.

This plate is flush with the finished floor and

is either hinged or removable to allow easy
access to the machinery below.
 COMB PLATE
 The comb plate is the piece between the

stationary floor plate and the moving step.

 It is so named because its edge has a series of

cleats that resemble the teeth of a comb.

 These teeth mesh with matching cleats on the edges of the steps.

 This design is necessary to minimize the gap between the stair and the landing,
which helps prevent objects from getting caught in the gap.
THE TRUSS

 The truss is a hollow metal structure that bridges

the lower and upper landings.

 It is composed of two side

sections joined together with
cross braces across the bottom
and just below the top.

 The ends of the truss are attached to the top and

bottom landing platforms via steel or concrete
supports.

 The truss carries all the straight track sections

connecting the upper and lower sections.
THE TRACKS
The track system is built into the truss to guide the step chain, which continuously pulls
the steps from the bottom platform and back to the top in an endless loop.
 There are actually two tracks: one for the front wheels of the steps (called the step-
wheel track) and one for the back wheels of the steps (called the trailer-wheel track).

 The relative positions of these tracks cause the steps to form a staircase as they move

out from under the comb plate.

 THE STEPS
 The steps themselves are solid, one-piece, die-cast aluminum.
Rubber mats may be affixed to their surface to reduce slippage, and yellow demarcation
lines may be added to clearly indicate their edges.
The steps are linked by a continuous metal chain so they form a closed loop with
each step able to bend in relation to its neighbors.
The front and back edges of the steps are each connected to two wheels.

The rear wheels are set further apart to fit into the back track and the front
wheels have shorter
axles to fit into the narrower front track.

As described above, the position of the tracks controls the orientation of the
steps.
PHYSICAL FACTORS:

Physical factors like the vertical and horizontal distance to be spanned must be
considered.

These factors will determine the pitch of the escalator and its actual length.

LOCATION:

Escalators should be situated where they can be easily seen by the general public.

In department stores, customers should be able to view the merchandise easily.

Furthermore, up and down escalator traffic should be physically separated and

should not lead into confined spaces.
TRAFFIC PATTERNS
 Traffic patterns must also be anticipated in escalator design.

 In some buildings the objective is simply to move people from one floor to another,
but in others there may be a more specific requirement, such as funneling visitors
towards a main exit or exhibit.

 The number of passengers is important because escalators are designed to carry a

certain maximum number of people.

For example, a single width escalator traveling at about 1.5 feet (0.45 m) per second can
move an estimated 170 persons per five-minute period.
 SAFETY
 Safety is also major concern in escalator design.

 Fire protection of an escalator floor-opening may be provided by adding

automatic sprinklers or fireproof shutters to the opening, or by installing the
escalator in an enclosed fire-protected hall.

 To limit the danger of overheating, adequate ventilation for the spaces that
contain the motors and gears must be provided.

 It is preferred that a traditional staircase be located adjacent to the escalator if

the escalator is the primary means of transport between floors.
 WORKING
An escalator is a continuously moving staircase. Each stair has a pair of wheels on
each side, one at the front of the step and one at the rear. The wheels run on two
rails. At the top and bottom of the escalator, the inner rail dips beneath the outer rail,
so that the bottom of the stair flattens, making it easier for riders to get on and off.
TYPES:

Escalator typical configurations:

PARALLEL CRISS CROSS LAYOUT

WIDTH OF ESCALATOR CROSS-SECTION OF AN ESCALATOR
 ESCALATOR WIDTH

In accordance with a worldwide standard, the width of the step to be used is 60 cm

(for one person), 80cm (for one-to-two people) and 100cm (for two people width)
ESCALATOR ANGLE

Escalator angle can be between 30-35 degrees.

The 35 degree escalator is more economical, as it takes up less
surface area if viewed in plan, but for large ascents, the 30 degree
escalator is preferred both on psychological as well as safety
grounds. The transportation capacity is same for both.
BENEFITS
 Capacity to move large

numbers of people.

 Can be placed in the same

physical space as stairs.

 Have no waiting

interval, except during very

heavy traffic.

 Used to guide people towards

main exits or special exhibits.

This successfully ends Units – 04……!!

Thanks for your co operation.

Next class lets explore…..

FIRE SAFETY BUILDINGS