Elevators & Escalators

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION IV
What Is an elevator?
 What Is an elevator?
It is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods
Ancient and medieval elevators used drive systems based on hoists orwinders. The invention
of a system based on the screw drive was perhaps the most important step in elevator
technology since ancient times, leading to the creation of modern passenger elevators.
The first screw drive elevator was built by Ivan Kulibin and installed in Winter Palace in
1793. Several years later another of Kulibin's elevators was installed in Arkhangelskoye near
Moscow. In 1823, an "ascending room" made its debut in London.
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.
On March 23, 1857 the first Otis passenger elevator was installed at 488 Broadway in New
York City.
Elevator design by
The Equitable Life Building completed in 1870 in New York City was the first office building German engineer Konrad
to have passenger elevators.
Kyeser (1405)
 Elisha Otis' elevator patent drawing, 15 January 1861

The two Otis hydraulic elevators serving the Eiffel Tower operated from ground
floor level at the North and South piers to reach the 2 nd Platform at 380 feet.
Each elevator car was of double-deck design holding 50 seated passengers and
travelling at a speed of 394 feet/minute.
Types of Elevators?
Elevator Types
According to hoist mechanism.
According to building height.
According to building type.
According to elevator Location.
According to Special uses.
1- According to hoist mechanism:

Elevators will be classified according to hoist mechanism to 4 main types as follows:

Hydraulic Elevators
Traction Elevators
Climbing elevator
Pneumatic Elevators
Hydraulic elevators are supported by a piston at the bottom of the elevator that pushes the elevator up.
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. Hydraulic elevators have many two main types as follows: Holed hydraulic and Telescopic Hydraulic
 Hydraulic lifts are cheaper, but installing cylinders
greater than a certain length becomes impractical for
very high lift hoistways. Hydraulic lifts are usually
slower than traction lifts.
 The low mechanical complexity of hydraulic elevators
in comparison to traction elevators makes them ideal
for low rise, low traffic installations.
 They are less energy efficient as the pump works
against gravity to push the car and its passengers
upwards; this energy is lost when the car descends on
its own weight.
 The high current draw of the pump when starting up
also places higher demands on a building’s
electrical system.
Holed hydraulic Telescopic Hydraulic
2- Traction Elevators (Pull Elevators)
Traction elevators are lifted by ropes, which pass over a wheel attached to an
electric motor above the elevator shaft.
They are used for mid and high-rise applications and have much higher travel
speeds than hydraulic elevators.
A counter weight makes the elevators more efficient. Traction elevators have 3
main types as follows:
COUNTERWEIGHT

Load borne by the generator is balanced by the counterweight.

Connected with a wire rope of the elevator car.
Function of counterweight :
- To grip the lift car
- Reduce the power of generator
- Reduce the brake to stop the car lifts.
A- Geared Traction Elevators:

They 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.
B- Gear-less Traction Elevators:
They have the wheel attached directly to the motor.
Gear-less traction elevators are capable of speeds up
to 2000 feet per minute.
C- Machine-Room-Less
Elevators:
Machine room-less elevators are designed so that
most of the components fit within the shaft containing
the elevator car; and a small cabinet houses the
elevator controller. Other than the machinery being in
the hoistway, the equipment is similar to a normal
traction elevator.
Benefits
• creates more usable space
 use less energy (70-80% less than hydraulic
elevators)
 uses no oil
 slightly lower cost than other elevators
 can operate at faster speeds than hydraulics but not
normal traction
they are typically traction elevators that do not have a dedicated machine room above the elevator shaft. The machine sits in the override space and
the controls sit above the ceiling adjacent to the elevator shaft. Machine-room-less elevators are becoming more common; however, many
maintenance departments do not like them due to the hassle of working on a ladder as opposed to within a room.
3- Climbing elevator
They hold their own power device on them, mostly
electric or combustion engine. Climbing elevators are
often used in work and construction areas.
4- Pneumatic Elevators
Pneumatic elevators are raised and lowered by
controlling air pressure in a chamber in which
the elevator sits. By simple principles of
physics; the difference in air pressure above
and beneath the vacuum elevator cab literally
transports cab by air.
 It is the vacuum pumps or turbines that pull
cab up to the next Floor and the slow release of
air pressure that floats cab down.
They are especially ideal for existing homes due
to their compact design because excavating a
pit and hoist way are not required.
2- According to building height

A- Low-Rise buildings (1- 3 stories)

Buildings up to about (1 to 3) stories typically use hydraulic elevators because of their lower
initial cost

B- Mid-Rise buildings (4 -11 stories) Buildings up to about (4 to 11) stories typically use Geared
Traction Elevators

C- High-Rise buildings (12 + stories)

Buildings up to about 12+ stories typically use Gear-Less Traction Elevators

3- According to building type

Elevators will be classified according to building type to 6 main types as follows:

Hospital Elevators.
Residential /Domestic Elevators.
Agricultural Elevators.
Industrial Elevators.
Commercial Elevators.
Parking buildings Elevators.
 Hospital Lift

- Used in hospital & treatment center

- Designed for transporting large carts or furniture.
- Speed of elevator 100 – 350 ft/ min.
- Two sides of front and back doors for loading and
unloading facilities.
- Door width between 900 – 1100mm

A- Hospital Bed Elevators

B- Hospital Stretcher Lift Stairway Elevators Wheelchair Elevators on an Incline
 Freight elevator

Dumbwaiters Elevators
Vertical Wheelchair Elevators
4- Industrial Elevators

A-Hoist Elevators B- Incline Elevators

Panoramic elevators - Capsule elevators Automobile elevators -
Characteristic of Lifts
1. Lift needed for the building more than 6 storey.
2. Installation must be in accordance with the regulation in UBBL.
3. Suitable speed 100 – 150ft/min. Too fast will result in a nervous breakdown to the user. If too slow will cause
lack of function.

USER REQUIREMENTS :

Good System – quiet equipment, smooth journey, good condition and safe at every moment.
Waiting time – minimum waiting time at any level.
Aesthetics – Button panel clear and easily reached at appropriate level. Complete instruction. Decorative lighting
and comfortable.
Movement of door – door movement is quiet and fast.
LIFT SHAFT

Constructed with reinforced concrete.

To accommodate the loading and fire
resistance.
Size of lift shaft space is determined by the
number of user
Equipment to be provided – door, floor panel indicators, button
of request, phone, emergency button, lighting, ventilation and
enough emergency supplies.
1.6 Location & Lift Arrangement
LIFT ARRANGEMENT
To ensure there is no interference between passengers who wish to get into the lift.
Should be carefully planned so can easily get into lobby and travel distance is reasonable.
Maximum travel distance 150 – 200ft
System layout depends on the number of elevator cars that use the elevator
Normally the elevator is set in the layout or zoned.
 Lift Arrangement for 2 car lift

Side by side Not good

arrangement – width Opposite arrangement
of corridor = width arrangement of
of car lift corridor = width of
car lift
ment –
width of corridor =
width of car lift
 Lift Arrangement for 3 car lift

Opposite Side by side

arrangement – width arrangement -width
of corridor = 1.5 – of corridor = 1.5A,
2A, where A is width where A is width of
of lift lift
 Lift Arrangement for 4 car lift

Opposite Side by side

arrangement – width arrangement -width
of corridor = 1.5 – of corridor = 1.5A,
2A, where A is width where A is width of
of lift lift
 Lift Arrangement for 6 car lift

Opposite Side by side

arrangement – width arrangement -width
of corridor = 1.75 – of corridor = 2A,
2A, where A is width where A is width of
of lift lift
Lift Arrangement for 6 car lift Lift Arrangement for 8 car lift

Weak arrangement
for 6 car lift

Opposite
arrangement – width
of corridor = 2A,
where A is width of
lift
What Is an Escalator?
Parts of escalators
Steps: The steps themselves are solid, one piece, die-cast aluminum or steel. The steps are
linked by a continuous metal chain that forms a closed loop. 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. These
are basically moving platform on which escalator passengers ride.
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
Floor plate: It 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.
Landing platform: These two platforms house the curved sections of the tracks, as well as
the gears and motors that drive the stairs. The top platform contains the motor assembly and
the main drive gear, while the bottom holds the step return idler sprockets.
Types
Escalators have three typical configuration options:

• Parallel -up and down escalators "side by side or separated by

a distance", seen often in metro stations and multilevel motion
picture theaters
• Crisscross -minimizes structural space requirements by
"stacking" escalators that go in one direction, frequently used in
department stores or shopping centers
• Multiple parallel -two or more escalators together that travel in
one direction next to one or two escalators in the same bank that
travel in the other direction
Escalators are required to have moving handrails that keep
pace with the movement of the steps. The direction of movement
(up or down) can be permanently the same, or be controlled by
personnel according to the time of day, or automatically.
Assignment !