CHAPTER 4

BUILDING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

 BUILDING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

• System for conveying people in buildings

• The mechanical transportation of people and goods is an

energy-using service that needs the designer’s attention at
the earliest stage of building design.

• System includes:
– Elevators (lifts)
– Escalators and
– Walkalators (moving walk)
ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Elevator (Lifts)
- is a vertical transport equipment that efficiently
moves people or goods between floors (levels,
decks) of a building, vessel or other structure

• Two basic types:

– Hydraulic-lifting platform is pushed
upward/downward by plunges
– Traction-Electric lifts
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)

• Passenger lifts are provided for buildings of over three (3)

storey, or less if wheelchair movement is needed.

• Minimum standard is one lift for each four storey, with a

maximum walking distance of 45m between workstation
and lift lobby.

• Prestige requirement require higher standards (depends

on the rent earning potential)
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
• Peak demand for lift service is
assessed from the building size,
Table 1: Design lift car speed
shape, height and population.
• 25% of the population require Floors Car speed
transportation during a 5 min peak (m/s)
period. 4 0.75
• Congestion at peak travel times is 9 2
minimized by arranging the lifts
15 3
lobbies in a cul-de-sac of (2 lift
doors on either side of a walkway, Over 15 5-7
rather than in a line of four doors
along one wall).
• Construction specifications of lifts
are given in BS 5655: 1989 and BS
Code of Practice 407:1972
• Car speed for various travel
distance (see table 1)
Grouping of Lift in Cul-De-Sac
Arrangements
 Example of
Elevator Layout

• Elevator layout has great

influences on building's
functionality.
• The elevator must be installed
in such a way that it is easy to
use without affecting the
performances.
 Elevator Car Types
Standard elevator car/cabin can be classified according to the number of
entrances and their locations as follows:
1. Normal Cabin
2. Open Through Cabin
3. Diagonal Cabin
 Standard Car Size
• To prevent overloading of the car by
persons, the available area of the car
shall be limited and related to the
nominal/rated load of the elevator.
• The number of passengers shall be
obtained from the formula:

Number of passengers = rated load /75

Where 75 represent the average

weight of a person in Kg.

• The value obtained for the number of

passengers shall be rounded to the
nearest whole number.
 Car Dimension
• The following definitions for the car
dimenstion are very important:

Car Width (CW): The horizontal

dimensions between the inner surfaces of
the car walls measured parallel to the
front entrance and at 1m above the car
floor.

Car Height (CH): The inside vertical

distance between the entrance threshold
and the constructional roof of the car.
Light fittings and false ceilings are
accommodated within this dimension.

Car Depth (CD): The horizontal

dimensions between the inner surfaces of
the car walls measured at right angles to
the car width and at 1m above the car
floor.
 Zoning the Elevator
• Office buildings of more than 20 stories
are zoned in order to decrease
transportation time and improve the
rental rates.
• Zoning refers to dividing elevator
service into several zones, and assign
group of elevators for each zone.
• Unlike office buildings, a single elevator
group is recommended for hotels 40
stories or less to give priority to the
first-time users and conveniences.
• Using a single group elevators, make
less hassle for the passengers to select
an elevator based on their destination
floor, and is also more flexible than
zoning.
World Trade Centre Building-Floor
and Elevator Arrangement

Local
elevators
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Hydraulic
• Lifting platform is pushed upward/downward by plunges
(ram)
• Liquid (oil/high pressure water) is forced into or
withdrawn to create movement.
• A pump is used to control the liquid.
• Suitable for moderate car speed and fairly short travel
(e.g. hospital)
• Speed range between 0.12m/s and 1m/s with maximum
height 21m.
• Machine room are usually located at the lowest level.
• Types: Direct acting (holed)
Suspended (hole less)
 Hydraulic
Elevator
• 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.
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Hydraulic
Direct Acting or Holed Type
• single cylinder that bored into the
ground with the cylinder having a
depth that reaches the height of the
plunger.
• They have a sheave that extends
below the floor of the elevator pit,
which accepts the retracting piston
as the elevator descends.
• Some configurations have a
telescoping piston that collapses and
requires a shallower hole below the
pit.
• Max travel distance is approximately
60 feet.

Direct Acting
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Hydraulic
Suspended or Hole less Type
•They have a piston on either side of the cab.
• It can be divided to 3 different types as follows:

a- Telescopic Hydraulic Elevators:

• In this configuration, the telescoping pistons are fixed
at the base of the pit and do not require a sheave or
hole below the pit and has 2 or 3 pieces of telescoping
pistons. Telescoping pistons allow up to 50 feet of
travel distance.
b- Non-telescoping (single stage) Hydraulic Elevators:
• It has one piston and only allows about 20 feet of
travel distance.
c- Roped Hydraulic Elevators:
They use a combination of ropes and a piston to move
the elevator. Maximum travel distance is about 60 Suspended type
feet.
Hydraulic Power Unit
 Hydraulic Power Unit
• The power unit shall be generously rated and shall operate with
minimum noise and vibration.
• The unit shall be mounted on vibration insulators above the machine
room floor.
• A silencer unit shall be fitted in the hydraulic system to minimize the
transmission of pulsations from the pump to the car and the
elimination of airborne noise.
• The hydraulic power unit consists of the following components:

1. The Tank.
2. Motor/Pump.
3. Valve.
4. Actuator.
Method of Operation
 Method of Operation
1- For Direct Acting Type
The pump forces fluid from the tank into a pipe leading to the cylinder. When the valve is
opened, the pressurized fluid will take the path of least resistance and return to the fluid
reservoir. But when the valve is closed, the pressurized fluid has nowhere to go except
into the cylinder. As the fluid collects in the cylinder, it pushes the piston up, lifting the
elevator car.
• When the car approaches the correct floor, the control system sends a signal to the
electric motor to gradually shut off the pump. With the pump off, there is no more fluid
flowing into the cylinder, but the fluid that is already in the cylinder cannot escape (it
can't flow backward through the pump, and the valve is still closed). The piston rests on
the fluid, and the car stays where it is.
• To lower the car, the elevator control system sends a signal to the valve. The valve is
operated electrically by a basic solenoid switch (Actuator). When the solenoid opens the
valve, the fluid that has collected in the cylinder can flow out into the fluid reservoir. The
weight of the car and the cargo pushes down on the piston, which drives the fluid into
the reservoir. The car gradually descends. To stop the car at a lower floor, the control
system closes the valve again.
 Method of Operation
2- For Indirect Acting (Suspended) Hydraulic System Type
• Water or any hydraulic fluid at a high pressure is admitted into the
fixed cylinder of the jigger. This high pressure hydraulic fluid pushes
the sliding ram to move towards left side as shown in the figure. When
the sliding ram moves towards the left side, the distance between the
fixed and movable pulleys increases and thus the cage is lifted up.
• When the water or the hydraulic fluid under high pressure inside the
cylinder is released, then the distance between the two pulleys
decreases and thus the cage comes down. Thus the suspended-type
hydraulic lifts are more popular than direct type lifts.
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Hydraulic
Advantages
•Eliminating rooftop structure ( power pack at low level)
•Small machine room & can be located at some distance
from the shaft
•Load imposed on the shaft is far more less ----offering
structural cost economies
•No brake or gear necessary
•No pulleys of driving sheave
•No counterweight and a larger lift car can sometime be used
for a given well size
•Extremely accurate floor levelling can be achieved
•Acceleration and travel is very smooth
•Simplification of shaft’s structural design
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Electric
Principle
components- lifting platform, lifting machinery,
counterweight cables.
Geared Gearless
• location of gear between motor  ascend (upward movement)
& drive sheave heights for gearless are limited by
• small motor provide gear technology feasibility & cost
reduction ratio (efficient &
comfort) limitation
• employed for medium speed &  the net ascent distance will be
medium height application limited by factors of mechanical
• used in buildings with greater performance capabilities
height & greater lifting capacity
 some commercially available
gearless elevators can move up at
rates more than the speed
suggested in the table 2
 Basic
Components
• The standard elevators
will include the following
basic components:
1. Car.
2. Hoist way.
3. Machine/drive system.
4. Control system.
5. Safety system.
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Electric

Table 2: Electric Lift Specifications

HEIGHT OF ACENT NUMBER OF STOPS SPEED Ft/min LIFTING CAPACITY
Ft(m) (m/s) Lbs (kg)

Geared To 300 (90) 30 300-500 2000-4000

(1.5-2.5) (900-1800)

Gearless To 500-750+ 30-80 500-1200+ 2000-4000

(150-230+) (2.5-6.0+) (900-1800)
 Gearless Mechine

• It used in high rise applications whereby the drive motor and drive sheave are
connected in line on a common shaft, without any mechanical speed reduction
unit located between the drive motor and drive sheave.
• Generally, Gearless machines are used for high speed lifts between 2.5 m/s to 10
m/s and they can be also used for lower speeds for special applications.
• Their sizes and shapes vary with load, speed and manufacture but the underlying
principles and components are the same.
Gearless Components
 Geared Machine
• It used in low and mid rise
applications.
• This design utilizes a
mechanical speed reduction
gear set to reduce the rpm of
the drive motor (input speed) to
suit the required speed of the
drive sheave and elevator
(output speed).
• Generally, geared machines are
used for speeds between 0.1
m/s and 2.5 m/s and are
suitable for loads from 5 Kg up
to 50,000 Kg and above.
• Their sizes and shapes vary with
load, speed and manufacture
but the underlying principles
and components are the same.
Geared Machine Components
 Types of geared machine drive
according to location of installation
A- The drive
machine located
directly over top
its hoistway or
shaft is
commonly
referred to as
“Overhead
traction”
 Types of geared machine drive
according to location of installation

B- The drive machine

located at a basement
is commonly referred
to as “basement
traction”
 Types of geared machine drive
according to location of installation
C- The drive machine
located at the side of the
hoistway is commonly
referred to as an “offset
traction” as in the below
image

Note: Basement and offset applications

require additional deflector sheaves to
properly lead suspension ropes off the drive
sheave and to the car top or counterweight.
 Types of Electrical Traction Drive
Systems
Generally, the electrical traction drive can be grouped into several
categories based on the motor type and its control as follows:

A- Geared traction control, which includes:

• Single speed AC motor.
• Two speed AC motor.
• Variable voltage AC motor (VVAC).
• Variable voltage, variable frequency AC motor (VVVFAC).
• Variable voltage DC motor(VVDC).

B- Gearless traction drives, which include:

• Variable voltage DC motor (VVDC).
• Variable voltage, variable frequency AC motor(VVVFAC).
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Electric
Principles of Operation

Single wrap traction Roping Arrangements

-geared machines or
-gearless (lower speed)
Double-wrap traction
-the use of diversion puller
increases the risk of rope
slip
-Double-wrap pulley
reduces the frictional area
of rope with the diving
sheave
-used on high speed and
heavily loaded elevators.
ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Electric
• Size depends on the size & speed of car,
type of door
• Pit must permits over travel & water tight
with proper drainage
• Buffer sits to the base (spring /oil) to
reduce impact
• Allowing air to escape below & above
moving car to prevent air pressure
building + smoke vent with unobstructed
openings
• No other services should accommodate
shaft
• Constructed of reinforced concrete /
brickwork ---sufficient strength to carry
load & superimposed loads
• Fire resistant ---< one hour
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS) _Electric
Lift Doors
• Two sets of doors are required at lift
entrances;
1. Car doors fitted to the lift car
2. Landing doors fitted to the lift shaft
enclosure
(open metalwork enclosures are no
longer allowed)
• Landing doors must be made of solid
incombustible materials ---reduce fire
risk & ensure safety of passengers
• Landing doors must have no means
by which an authorized person can
open them from a landing
• Door may be of the following type
1. two-leaf side opening
2. Two leaf centre opening
3. Single-leaf side opening
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Lift Design Consideration

• Location Consideration
• Number of Lift
• Population
• Round Trip Time
• Flow Rate
• Interval
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Location Considerations
• Location of building entrances ---should be located in the central
area, or if not, should be centralized
• Grouping ---better group than spread, reduces installation cost
• Staircase location ---demand of lift reduced if passengers pass
stairs first before lift
• Departmental stores ---easily seen & accessible to encourage visits
to upper floors
• Hospitals ---bed lifts required near operating theatres
• Lobbies ---desirable & large enough to allow traffic visible from
entrance hall
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Number of Lifts
The number & size of lifts must be related to following:
1. Population of the building
2. Type of building occupancy
3. The starting & finishing times of population
4. Number of floor and heights
5. Position of building in relation to public transport services.
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Population

When clear figure is unobtainable

Estimation
1.Net floor area
2. Population density per sq meter.

Example: General office building population density of one person

per 10m² of net floor volume
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Round Trip Time and Flow Rate

Round Trip Time

• The time in sec taken by a single lift to travel from the
ground floor to the top floor, including stops, and return to
the ground floor.

Flow rate
• A percentage of the total population requiring lift service
during a 5 min peak period
• Survey (10% -25%) will require lifts during 5 min peak
demand hour
• If no info available ---assume 12% for speculative buildings
& 17% for unified buildings
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Interval
Interval (s)
• Expressed in seconds & represents the round trip of one car dived by
the number of cars in a common group system
• Provides a criterion for measuring the quality of service
• Average waiting time; theory half, practice ¾
 ELEVATORS (LIFTS)
Example (checking the lift performance)

A 15 storey office block has a net floor area above ground level of
8000m². Assuming 17% of the total population using the lift
during 5 min peak time, starting times ad a population density
of one person per 10m² of net floor area, calculate the flow rate
and from tables, find lift speed, number and capacity of lift.

Check the quality of service form the table.

(1) Determine the Flow rate
• Flow rate – allowing 17% of population from total building occupants
8000m2/10m2 ×17/100 =136 persons during 5 min peak demand period

From Table 1: The nearest handling capacity is 137 persons for 24 passenger car
using 4 cars with speed of 2.50m/s.

(2) Determine the Travel distance and speed

Assuming floor-to-floor height is 3.3m, the lift travel = (15-1) storey x3.3m height
=46.2m travel distance.
From table 2, the nearest travel for offices is 45m which requires speed of 2.5m/s.
(speed ok!) (Ground floor is not included)
Table 1
Table 2

137
 (3) Determine the number capacity of lift, Waiting time and minimum number of
lift.
• From table 1, for 24-passenger cars may be installed having a handling
capacity of 137 and interval of 41s
Result for Quality of service
Table 3 Refer table 1 (green box) interval=41s
From table 3
- interval 41s ---satisfactory for
offices
- calculate the waiting time :
(3/4 x interval= 31s)
From table 4
15 storeys/ 4 lift = 3.75 storey/lift~
near to 4 nos required
Table 4 ---satifactory
Commercial
Dumbwaiter
 ESCALATOR
• Staircases that could move
upward or downward operate
continuously during hours of
occupancy
• Mostly deployed in pairs
installed to a building to
support the lift services
• For example; basement to
ground floor where traffic is
light; to avoid the need for lift to
serve low demand
 ESCALATOR
• An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for
carrying people between floors of a building.
• Escalators are powered by constant-speed alternating current motors
and move at approximately 1–2 feet (0.30–0.61 m) per second.
• The maximum angle of inclination of an escalator to the horizontal
floor level is 30 degrees with a standard rise up to about 60 feet (18
m).
• Modern escalators have single piece aluminum or steel steps that move
on a system of tracks in a continuous loop.
• Direction of movement (up or down) can be permanently the same, or
be controlled by personnel according to the time of day, or
automatically be controlled by whoever arrives first, whether at the
bottom or at the top (the system is programmed so that the direction is
not reversed while a passenger is on the escalator).
 ESCALATOR
1. Bottom; step
return idler bottom
sprockets, step top
chain safety
switches & curves
sections of the
rack centre
2. Centre; carries
all straight track
sections which
connect the
upper & lower
curved sections
3. Top; driving
motor, driving
sprockets,
electrical
controller and
emergency breaks
ESCALATOR-basic component

The Escalator consists of the following

components:
•Landing Platforms.
•Truss.
•Tracks.
•Steps.
•Handrail.
•Escalator Exterior (Balustrade).
•Drive system.
•Auto-Lubrication System.
•Braking system.
•Safety devices.
•Electrical & Control Systems.
 Landing Control Station

• A control station at both upper and lower landings is provided which includes a key-actuated directional starting
safety switch and a key actuated stop switch.
• The control station is located in the newel end skirt deck at the ends of the balustrades.
• A Code compliant emergency stop station is provided at each end of the escalator. The emergency stop is located
in accordance with governing Code requirements and is covered by a transparent cover and alarm.
• Starting of the escalator in normal continuous operation mode shall only be possible using a dedicated key switch
at upper and lower ends. (Some units have key switches at one end only.)
ESCALATOR
Escalator vs Elevators
•Travel between floors occur
much rapidly in lifts
•traveling vertically in medium /
high-rise building are more
practical in elevators
• Elevator assemblies occupy
less space
•Enable movement by
wheelchair-bound, stretcher (in
case of an emergency)
 Advantages
• The benefits of escalators are many:
They have the capacity to move large numbers of people.
• They can be placed in the same physical space as one might install a
staircase.
• They have no waiting interval (except during very heavy traffic).
• They can be used to guide people toward main exits or special
exhibits ‫ز‬
• They may be weatherproofed for outdoor use.
• They can help in controlling the traffic flow of people For example, an
escalator to an exit effectively discourages most people from using it as
an entrance, and may reduce security concerns.
 ESCALATOR
Capacity
• Step width between 600mm ~ 1.2m
• Carrying capacity depends on speed & width of thread
• Ex ; 1m will allow 2 people to stand side by side,1.2m for air terminals
& railway stations to allow passenger to pass easily when carrying
luggage,2m for departmental store with heavy traffic
 ESCALATOR
Location
• Easily seen area to maximize
usage
• Example; in departmental
stores, escalators are located
to be possible to see over a
wide area of the floors so as to
encourage sales
Arrangement
• Many arrangements may be
used depending upon the
standard of service required
and cost
 Multiple parallel

Crisscross
layout Parallel Layout
Spiral Escalator
 Dimension for Escalator
ANSI A17.1 sets the following
limitations on escalator steps (Fig.
16.8):
i) Minimum depth of tread in
direction of travel :15 3⁄4 “
ii) Maximum rise between treads
:8 1⁄2 “
iii) Width of tread : 24”- 40”
iv) Maximum distance between
handrail centerlines: width
between balustrades plus 6 in
with not more than 3 in on
either side of the escalator (see
Fig. 16.8b)

ANSI : ‘‘American National Standard Safety Code for Elevators, Dumbwaiters, Escalators and Moving Walks
 ESCALATOR
Guidelines for design:
1.Estimating how many escalators may be needed.
2. Placement locations for escalators.
3. Placement format for escalators
4. Sizing issues for placing escalators
 WALKALATORS/MOVING WALKWAY
•A moving walkway
sometimes called
Travelator, Horizontal
Escalator
•is a slow moving
conveyor mechanism that
transports people, across
a horizontal or inclined
plane, over a short to
medium distance.
•Moving walkways can be
used by standing or
walking on them. They
are often installed in
pairs, one for each
direction.
 WALKALATORS/MOVING WALKWAY
• Moving walkways, usually found in airports, are designed to move
people over long distances, usually between different terminals.
Moving walkways are similar to an escalator.
• The only difference is that the steps lay flat, like a conveyor belt.
Passengers are able to move from gate to gate or from one baggage
area to the next.
• Moving walkways, like elevators and escalators, offer a smooth and
convenient ride for people while providing outstanding energy
efficiency for commercial building operators.
 Types of Moving Walkway
• Moving walkway can be classified by:
1. According To Inclination Angle
2. According To the Flat Moving Surface
3. According To the Speed
 Inclination Angle

• a- Zero degrees inclination “Horizontal” Moving Walkways.

b- Up to 15 degrees inclination “Inclined” ” Moving Walkways.

• An inclined moving walkway is used in airports and supermarkets to move
people to another floor with the convenience of an elevator (namely, that
people can take along their suitcase trolley or shopping cart, or baby carriage)
and the capacity of an escalator.
 Flat Moving Surface
Moving Belt Moving Walkway
These are generally built with mesh metal belts or
rubber walking surfaces over metal rollers.
The walking surface may have a solid feel or a
"bouncy" feel.

Pallet Type Moving walkways

A continuous series of flat metal plates
mesh together to form a walkway. Most
have a metal surface, though some
models have a rubber surface for extra
traction.
 Speed
Moving walkways have two basic styles according to the flat moving surface:
a- Slow- speed Standard type
• The speed of these walkways is determined by the need for safety upon entry
and exit, which generally limits it to approximately half normal walking speed,
or 30–40m/min. The slow speed of the walkway causes impatience, and
passengers often walk on the walkway itself or on the adjacent floor rather use
the slower walkway.

b- High-speed walkways
• Required additional safety procedure (holding to the side rail and shopping
cart/baby carriage/suitcase is not allowed)
• allowing for a large number of passengers, (up to 10,000 per hour), whereas
the transportation zone was narrower and fast moving.
• Widely used in airports, tunnels
 High Speed Walkway

• On entering, there is a 10 m acceleration zone where the "ground" is a series of metal rollers. Riders
stand still with both feet on these rollers and use one hand to hold the handrail and let it pull them
so that they glide over the rollers. The idea is to accelerate the riders so that they will be traveling
fast enough to step onto the moving walkway belt. Riders who try to walk on these rollers are at
significant risk of falling over.

At the exit, the same technique is used to decelerate the riders. Users step on to a series of rollers
which decelerate them slowly, rather than the abrupt halt which would otherwise take place.
Walkway Components
End of Chapter 4