ELEVATORS

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Elevators (Lift):
The elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently
moves people or goods between floors (levels, decks) of a building,
vessel or other structures. Lift system installation requirements are
based on the needs of the use of a building. There are several types of
lifts used.

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BASIC TERMINOLOGIES

E l e v a t o r c a r : 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.

M a c h i n e B e a m : A steel beam, positioned directly over the

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

M a c h i n e r o o m : this usually located at the top of the shaft

and accommodates the winding machine, etc.

P i t : 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: hoist way through which one or more elevator cars may
travel.

C o u n t e r w e i g h t o r b a l a n c e w e i g h t : 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
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attached.
T r a c t i o n d r i v e : lift whose lifting
ropes are driven by friction in the grooves
of driving sheave of the machine.

T r a i l i n g c a b l e : flexible cable
providing electrical connection between
the lift car and a fixed point and points.

B o t t o m C l e a r a n c e : the distance,
including buffer compression, the
platforms could travel below the bottom
landing until the full weight of the car,
when loaded, rests on the buffer.

T o p c l e a r a n c e : the vertical distance

between the top car attachment and
bottom of the diverting pulley or any
steelwork supporting equipment, there
must be an adequate margin between
this and the car will not contact the
diverting pulley or steelwork.
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G u i d e r a i l s : these, fixed truly vertical in the shaft, are of steel and
serve to guide the movement of both car and counterweight.

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P a s s e n g e r l i f t : a lift designed for the transport of passengers.

G o o d s l i f t : a lift designed primarily for the transport of goods but which may carry a lift attendant or other person necessary for
the unloading an loading of goods.

S e r v i c e l i f t ( d u m b - w a i t e r ) : a lift with a car which moves in guides in a vertical direction, has net floor area of 1 sq mt,
total inside height of 1.25m, and capacity not exceeding 250kg, and is exclusively used for carrying materials and shall not carry any
person.

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• H o s p i t a l l i f t : a lift normally installed in a hospital/dispensary/clinic and designed to accommodate one number
bed/stretcher along its depth, with sufficient space around to carry a minimum of three attendants in addition to the lift operator.

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S u i t a b l e s p e e d - too fast will result in a nervous breakdown to the user. If too slow will cause lack of function.

• Electrical panel and power outlets.

• Ventilation fan and lighting in engine room.
• Power sockets in the lift pit.
• Maintenance works.

Physical requirements

• Size of lift shaft – depends on lift cargo capacity

• Depth of lift shaft – depends on the speed of elevators
• Area of space in lift – depends on the speed of elevators
• Mechanical room size: depends on type and size of the lift equipment.

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 Types of lifts

Hydraulic Traction
(Machine lift)

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Hydraulic lifts:
Pascal’s principle state that the pressure given to liquid in closed chamber will be continued by the liquid to every direction with
uniform and the same magnitude.

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COMPONENTS This lift consists mainly of 4 components

Holds the liquid used in the system

TANK This liquid is usually oil based because:
• non compressible
• self lubricating

MOTOR Constantly puts water into the system

Push oil into the cylinder to lift the elevator

Lets water out the system

VALVE Keeps the pressure low when open.
Increase pressure when closed.

Device that transfers fluid or electrical energy into

ACTUATOR mechanical energy.
A piston because it moves up and down

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 Working: When the pump delivers oil to the bottom of the cylinder, as the valve meant for the re-circulation remains closed,
the oil beneath the bottom of the ram gets pressurized and this pressurized oil lifts the ram (cage). When the cage has to be
lowered, the oil is drained back to the oil reservoir by keeping the valve open. The time for which the valve is kept open is
decided by the electro-magnetic switch, which gets its signal from the people who use the lift.

Disadvantages:
1. The cylinder has to be designed too long if the building is too high. If the building is twenty meters high, the cylinder has to be dug
nineteen meters deep below the building. So, this type of elevator cannot be used for tall buildings.

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Hydraulic lift

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Traction lifts ( machine lifts)
Principle – see – saw

• The car is raised and lowered by traction steel ropes rather than pushed
from below.

• The ropes are attached to the elevator car, looped around a sheave and
connected to an electric motor.
• When the motor turns one way, the sheave raises the elevator, when the
motor turns the other way, the sheave lowers the elevator.

• Typically, the sheave, the motor and the control system are all housed in a
machine room above the elevator shaft.

• The ropes that lift the car are also connected to counterweight, which
hangs on the other side of the sheave.

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• The counter weight and the car are perfectly
balanced.
• Basically, the motor only has to overcome
friction – the weight on the other side does most
of the work.
• In gearless elevators, the motor rotates the
sheaves directly.
• In geared elevators, the motor turns a gear train
that rotates the sheave.
• Nowadays, some traction elevators are using flat
steel belts instead of conventional steel ropes.
Flat steel belts are extremely light due to its
carbon fiber core and a high friction coating, and
does not require any oil or lubricant.

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COMPONENTS This lift consists mainly of 5 components

CONTROL SYSTEM
Sheave rotates with the help of motor

A pulley with a grooves around the circumference .

Grips the hoist ropes, so when you rotate the sheave, the ropes
ELECTRIC MOTOR
move too.
Connected to the motor.

Hangs on the other side of the sheave

SHEAVE It weighs about the same as the car filled to 40 percent capacity.
Connected with the ropes.

Are along the sides of the elevator shaft.

COUNTER Keep the car and counterweight from swaying back and forth.
WEIGHT Also work with the safety system to stop the car in an emergency.

GUIDING RAIL
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REQUIREMENTS FOR MACHINE ROOM:
• Adequately ventilated.
• Shall be such that the equipment 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 min to stop dust circulation.
• The entrance door shall have sufficient opening to allow for in and 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.

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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 10m/s.

Sky lobbies :
• An intermediate interchange floor where
people can change from an express
elevator that stops only at the sky lobby to
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.

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Goods lifts
• Used to transport heavy goods but depends on types of
good transported.
• Usually used in shopping complex, airports, hotel,
warehouse.

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Vehicle lifts

• Used specially to lift 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.

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Dumbwaiter lifts
• Dumbwaiters are small elevators that are intended to carry food rather than passengers
• They often link kitchens with other rooms.
• When installed in restaurants, schools, hospitals, the lifts generally terminate in a kitchen.
• Average height of the car ranges from 0.8m to 1.2m.

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Scissor lifts
• These lifts are self continued, these lifts can be easily moved to
where they are needed.
• They are excellent for indoor and outdoor construction,
maintenance and installation applications.

• Feature
• High load bearing capacity
• Long life
• Smooth operations

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OTHER TYPICAL PARAMETER IN DESIGN OF ELEVATOR INCLUDES:
i. Characteristics of the premises
a. Type and use of building
b. Floor plate size and height of the building
c. Size of population and its distribution in the premises
d. Fire safety and regulations
e. The house keeping of the premises
f. Comfortable
g. Aesthetics value

ii. Circulation efficiency/performance

a. Number of cars and their capacity
b. Location and configuration of elevators in entrance lobby
c. Travel length, number of stops and maximum acceptable waiting time
d. Arrangement with the combination of elevator, escalator and emergency stairs

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iii. Characteristic of the equipment
a. Type of transportation systems
b. Rated load and car dimensions
c. The speed of the lift/escalator system
d. The type of motor drive control system of the machine
e. Mode of group supervisory control and safety features
f. Cab enclosure and hoist way door finishes
g. Emergency power supplies and fire protection systems
h. Requirements of the local regulations on vertical transport system
i. Zoning of elevators j. Elevator doors

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The Advantages Elevator The Disadvantages Elevator
Suitable for high-rise building Expensive to maintain
Vertical transport that efficiently moves In case of malfunction, need to use other
people or good between floor of a mean of transportation
building
Safest mode of transportation Longer waiting period especially heavy
traffic
Faster mode of vertical transportation for Lesser capacity to transport people and
lengthier vertical distance good at a certain time
Statistic shows lesser risk of Hydraulic lift is slow movement
injuries/accident
Traction lift more faster than hydraulic lift
Convenient – does not take much space
except for the maintenance room
Hydraulic mechanism is cheaper, but
installing cylinder greater than a certain
length becomes impractical

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National Building Code for Lift
• High speed lifts for tall buildings
• In case of building having height more than 13 Mts. Lift shall be provided. Lift shall be provided
from ground floor and shall have minimum capacity of six persons. On the basis of detailed
calculations based on the relevant provisions of national Building code the number of lifts can be
varied.

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Karnataka Lifts Act, 1974

• Registration of Lift or Escalator or passenger Conveyor manufacturer or maker or other person.

• Permission to erect new lift or escalator or passenger conveyors.
• License for working new lift or escalator or passenger conveyors.
• Intimation of Accidents in Lifts or escalator or passenger conveyors.

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