CHAPTER 01

INTRODUCTION TO ELEVATORS

Prof. Yasmeen Syed, B.Arch., DSCA, Bangalore. 15AT6BS - Building Services(VI Sem)
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Since the mid 19th century, elevators have played a major role in transforming the city
skylines of the world, all the while making daily life more convenient. Electric elevators have
played a major role in the development of the high-tech cityscapes of modern world,
providing architects and developers with new options for innovative building design.
An elevator (or lift in the Commonwealth excluding Canada) 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.
There are three types of convoying methods in buildings, Elevators & Escalators & Ramps,
and they have different dimensions and uses according to building type & number of users in
it.

1.1 HISTORY OF ELEVATORS

The origin of the hoist is very old, and pulley and winch systems have been in use since
ancient times to draw water or raise building materials. Indeed, thousands of years ago
hoists must have played a fundamental role in the construction of the great pyramids of
Egypt.
The first documented proof of their use, however, comes from Greece, in 236 B.C., when
Greek mathematician, physicist and inventor Archimedes invented a hoist device with rope
and pulley, whereby a hoist rope was wrapped around a capstan and manpower used to pull
a lever to turn the drum. It is believed three such devices were first used in the Roman
Emperor Nero’s palace. Hoists using human workers as counterweights to draw water from
a well or using simple manpower to raise loads were both believed to be in use in ancient
Rome. It is also said that the Emperor Napoleon built a caged chair so that the Empress
could ascend staircases without effort.
Elevators in some form or another have been in use through the eras of human, water and
steam power. The mid 19th century marked the dawning of the age of electricity, and
developments in elevator technology was being driven by the appearance of the first high-
rise buildings in the United States, which necessitated the development of elevators in order
to make them practical. As such, the United States emerged as the centre of elevator
technology development for decades.
A big breakthrough came in 1853, when Elisha Graves Otis solved the problem of rope
failure that plagued contemporary elevators. He installed a rope-break safety device called
the safety brake (the equivalent of the modern safety gear) into the elevator. With the Otis
safety brake, in the case of rope failure, a spring would force a ratchet to engage sawtooth
iron bars and safely secure the car. In 1854, Otis demonstrated the safety brake by boarding
his elevator at the Crystal Palace in New York and cutting the traditional hemp rope himself.
The safety brake worked flawlessly, making a dramatic presentation, and establishing a
legend that lives in the industry, and the popular imagination, to this day.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, in England, Frost and Stutt successfully
developed a counterbalance-type, traction-method elevator called the “Teagle”, in 1853.
Frost and Stutt’s Teagle and Otis’ safety brake became fundamental elevator safety
features, thus ushering in the age of the safe elevator. Architects were able to let their
imaginations soar skyward, and city skylines would never be the same.
The world’s first passenger service elevator was installed in a five-story hotel on Broadway
in New York, in 1857. Manufactured by the Otis Elevator Company, it was steam-powered,
Prof. Yasmeen Syed, B.Arch., DSCA, Bangalore. 15AT6BS - Building Services(VI Sem)
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carried a maximum load of 450 kilograms (992 lbs.), and boasted a top speed of 12 meters
per minute (39.4 ft./min.). Until then, rooms on the upper floors of hotels were considered
undesirable due to the necessity of climbing numerous stairs with baggage in tow. From that
day forward, however, the upper floor rooms, especially the penthouse, could be let at a
premium, due to easy access to their superior views.
In 1867, the practicality of the hydraulic-power elevator was recognized when Leon Edoux
exhibited one at the Paris Exposition. With a top speed of 150 meters per minute (492
ft./min.), hydraulic-power elevators began appearing in 1878, and became widely used in
Europe and the United States.
At the Mannheim Exposition of 1880, as the industrialized world was adopting electrical
power, the German company Siemens exhibited an electric power elevator. Worm gears
were applied to reduce the rotation speed of a direct-current motor, and pinions and vertical
racks were used to control speed by altering series resistance in the armature.
The first person to use a DC motor for an elevator is believed to be Wegster in 1884 in the
United States. A few years later, in 1889, Norton Otis, son of the pioneering Elisha,
developed an electric elevator, the first direct-connected geared elevator in the world, and
installed it in the Demarest Carriage Building on Fifth Avenue in New York. The elevator
carried a load of 675 kilograms (1,488 lbs.) for passengers, 1,125 kilograms for freight
(2,480 lbs.), and topped out at a speed of 30 meters per minute (98.4 ft./min.) along a
vertical travel distance of 21 meters (68.9 ft.).
Oil-power hydraulic elevators were installed in the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of the Paris
Exposition in 1889, forming a dramatic demonstration of the practicality of this type of
elevator. A little over a decade later, in 1900, the alternating current induction motor was
introduced, which further accelerated the move towards electric power. Then, in 1903, the
traction type current elevator models appeared in the United States. With this method, the
car is connected to a counterweight by a rope and a pulley using traction power. Since only
a small electric motor is required to pull the car over a greatly increased vertical distance, it
became feasible to lift cars up high-rise buildings with dozens of floors.
Soon thereafter, the adoption of the Ward-Leonard method became an epoch-making
advance in the evolution of elevator technology. The Otis Elevator Company introduced it to
the market as a multi-voltage system, while Westinghouse marketed it as a variable voltage
system. With it, a precision DC system using an automatic car-leveling device improved the
quality of the ride and landing at each floor.
In 1922, Westinghouse installed a gearless elevator in the Physical Education Building in
Chicago, and in that same year also installed the then-fastest elevators with automatic
landing device, in the Rockefeller Building in New York, which boasted a speed of 420
meters per minute (1,378 ft./min.). A few years later the Otis Elevator Company would install
the 58 elevators in the Empire State Building in Manhattan designed to service the colossal
structure’s 15,000 daily users.
In the 1930s, against a backdrop of some 75 years of elevator technology development,
which served to drive the construction and practical application of skyscrapers soaring as
high as 102 storeys. Over the next 75 years the elevator companies have built on this body
of knowledge, introduced some of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of elevator
technology, and open the way for today’s elevators which can reach speeds as fast as 1,000
meters per minute (3,281 ft./min.) and more.

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 CHAPTER 02
TYPES OF ELEVATORS

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2.0 TYPES OF ELEVATORS
1. According to hoist mechanism
2. According to building height
3. According to building type
4. According to special uses

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Elevators will be classified according to hoist mechanism into four main types,
1. Hydraulic Elevators (Push Elevators)
i. Holed (Conventional) Hydraulic Elevators
ii. Hole-less Hydraulic Elevators
a. Telescopic Hydraulic Elevators
b. Non-telescoping (single stage) Hydraulic Elevators
c. Roped Hydraulic Elevators
2. Traction Elevators (Pull Elevators)
i. Geared Traction Elevators
ii. Gear-Less Traction Elevators
iii. Machine-Room-Less Elevators
3. Climbing Elevator
4. Pneumatic Elevators

2.1 ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

2.1.1 HYDRAULIC ELEVATORS (PUSH 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 storeys 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 two main types as follows:
i. Holed (Conventional) Hydraulic Elevators
ii. Hole-less Hydraulic Elevators
a. Telescopic Hydraulic Elevators
b. Non-telescoping (single stage) Hydraulic Elevator
c. Roped Hydraulic Elevators
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2.1.1.1 Holed (Conventional) Hydraulic Elevators

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.

2.1.1.2 Hole-less Hydraulic Elevators

They have a piston on either side of the cab. Hole-less Elevators can be divided into 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:

Non-telescoping (single stage) Hydraulic Elevators 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 feet.

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 Hole-less Hydraulic Elevators

Telescopic Non-telescoping (single stage) Roped

Hydraulic Elevators Hydraulic Elevators Hydraulic Elevators

Classification of Hydraulic Elevators in Automobile Industry

Different types of Hydraulic Elevator systems are available, they are
 Scissor Elevators
 Two-post Elevators
 Four-post Elevators

Scissor Elevators

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 Two-Post Elevators

Four-Post Elevators

Applications of Hydraulic Elevators

Apart from low-rise buildings hydraulic lifts are used in an extensive assortment of
 Automotive
 Shipping
 Waste removal applications

They are an effective means of raising and lowering people, heavy equipment movers, cargo
and machines, and find regular use in automobile repair. A vast number of trucks utilize
hydraulic lifts to facilitate the transport of heavy freight, and hydraulic lifts provide an
excellent solution to certain nursing and disability concerns.

All hydraulic lifts use hydraulic pressure as the motive force. In many cases, hydraulic lifts
are powered by air compressors. These air compressors pressurize the hydraulic oil,
allowing it to lift the associated load. If the air compressor has not had sufficient time to
pressurize the hydraulic fluid, the lift will not function. Other hydraulic lifts use an electric
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motor driven pump or a fuel motor driven pump to pressurize the fluid.

Care must be taken when using hydraulic lifts to ensure proper stability and to avoid injury.
Hydraulic fluid should be properly filtered in hydraulic circuits in order to prevent component
damage and leakage.

Hydraulic lifts have numerous construction uses, including their function as components in
forklifts and other transport machinery. These systems are often integrated into the vehicles
and devices, and use the internal motors to drive the hydraulic pump and pressurize the oil.
In similar fashion, hydraulic lifts are found in many public buses and vans, as well as hospital
and nursing home vehicles, where they provide those with movement difficulties access to
otherwise problematic locations. Many older facilities still use hydraulic lifts as elevators,
although distances are relatively limited.

2.1.2 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:

1. Geared Traction Elevators
2. Gear-Less Traction Elevators
3. Machine-Room-Less Elevators

2.1.2.1 Geared Traction Elevators:

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

Prof. Yasmeen Syed, B.Arch., DSCA, Bangalore. 15AT6BS - Building Services(VI Sem)
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500 feet per minute.

2.1.2.2 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.

2.1.2.3 Machine-Room-Less Elevators

Machine-Room-Less Elevators 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.

Geared Traction Elevators Gear-less Traction Elevators

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 Machine-Room-Less Elevators

2.1.3 CLIMBING ELEVATOR

Climbing elevator hold their own power device on them, mostly electric or combustion
engine. Climbing elevators are often used in work and construction areas.
2.1.4 PNEUMATIC ELEVATORS
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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.

2.2 ACCORDING TO BUILDING HEIGHT

1. Low-Rise buildings (1- 3 stories)
Buildings up to about (1 to 3) stories typically use hydraulic elevators because of their
lower initial cost
2. Mid-Rise buildings (4 -11 stories)
Buildings up to about (4 to 11) stories typically use Geared Traction Elevators
3. C- High-Rise buildings (12 + stories)
Buildings up to about 12+ stories typically use Gear-Less Traction Elevators

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2.3 ACCORDING TO BUILDING TYPE
1. Hospital Elevators
i. Hospital Bed Elevators
ii. Hospital Stretcher Lift
2. Residential /Domestic Elevators
i. Passenger Elevators
ii. Stairway Elevators
a. Vertical Wheelchair Elevators
b. Wheelchair Elevators on an Incline
iii. Dumbwaiters Elevators
3. Commercial Elevators
i. Commercial passenger elevators
ii. Freight elevators
a. General Freight Loading
b. Motor Vehicle Loading
c. Industrial Truck Loading
iii. Commercial Dumbwaiter
4. Parking buildings Elevators
i. Parking Elevators for Passengers
ii. Conventional Parking Elevators
iii. Auto Car Parking Elevators

2.3.1 HOSPITAL ELEVATORS

2.3.1.1 Hospital Bed Elevators

Hospital bed elevators generally transport patients who are not well enough to sit up even in
a wheelchair. One of the features of bed elevators should be its ability to transport the
patient has smoothly as possible with minimal amount of bumping and jostling. Many
contemporary bed elevators are manufactured to consume extremely low amounts of power
and to be durable with a number of safety features built-in. Hospital bed elevators generally
draw very little power so that should there be a power outage they are still operational off the

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hospital's backup power supply. Most often there will be a rear and a front entry to the
elevator cabin.

2.3.1.2 Hospital Stretcher Lifts

They usually are smaller than bed elevators. This particular type of elevator is usually
hydraulic or traction based depending on the location of the machine room. They are
specifically manufactured to be low-noise bed elevators that smoothly transport patients,
doctors, nurses and hospital staff between floors, allowing them the utmost in comfort.
Because hospital bed elevators are only used for transporting patients and hospital staff they
arrived at their location quite quickly, eliminating lengthy waits.

2.3.2 Residential /Domestic Elevators

They are usually just on a much smaller scale than industrial or commercial elevators.

2.3.2.1 Passenger Elevators

Domestic elevators which are intended to move passengers up and down stairs in a
multilevel residence are quite similar to those used in large public buildings. They can be
built either inside the home or outside the home and can be pneumatic vacuum, electric or
hydraulic elevators. Most often domestic elevators designed for carrying passengers in a
residential setting only carry perhaps two to four people safely and comfortably.

2.3.2.2 Stairway Elevators

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Stairway elevators are generally installed in homes where someone in the family has
problems with mobility. This type of domestic elevators simply runs on a rail up and down
and existing staircase. They can run either in a straight line or around a curved stairway.
Stairway elevators can be constructed both inside and outside the home.

a. Vertical Wheelchair Elevators

Interior vertical wheelchair elevators can easily be installed when space is limited. They can
be constructed in such a way as to allow both front and rear entry and the platform is
generally 4.5 feet by 5 feet, unless a custom size is called for. Vertical elevators are called
for when the staircase winds around several levels.

b. Wheelchair Elevators on an Incline

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Wheelchair elevators on an incline are generally installed when the staircase simply goes up
one level or perhaps two. If there are several winds in the staircase, wheelchair elevators on
an incline would not be well suited. Most often this type of elevator is called for when there is
not adequate space to facilitate a more spacious vertical wheelchair elevator.

2.3.2.3 Dumbwaiters Elevators

They are small freight elevators intended to carry objects rather than people , Whenever
groceries or laundry need to be sent up and down the stairs without making unnecessary
trips that can quickly tire people , people can simply place what needs to be transported in
the dumbwaiter and press the button to send it up or down stairs. Dumbwaiters are most
often built into or adjacent to a wall.
A simple dumbwaiter is a movable frame in a shaft, dropped by a rope on a pulley, guided by
rails; most dumbwaiters have a shaft, car, and capacity smaller than those of passenger
elevators, usually 50 to 500 kgs.

2.3.3 Commercial Elevators

2.3.3.1 Commercial passenger elevators

A passenger elevator is designed to move people between a building's floors. Passenger
elevators capacity is related to the available floor space.

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2.3.3.2 Freight elevators
A freight elevator, or goods lift, is an elevator designed to carry goods, rather than
passengers. Freight elevators are generally required to display a written notice in the car that
the use by passengers is prohibited (though not necessarily illegal), though certain freight
elevators allow dual use through the use of an inconspicuous riser. Freight elevators are
typically larger and capable of carrying heavier loads than a passenger elevator, generally
from 2,300 to 4,500 kg. Freight elevators may have manually operated doors, and often
have rugged interior finishes to prevent damage while loading and unloading. Although
hydraulic freight elevators exist, electric elevators are more energy efficient for the work of
freight lifting.
Freight elevators are almost always outdoor elevators even though some smaller versions
are designed for indoor use such as those used in warehouses. They are most often
extremely heavy-duty and can facilitate a great amount of weight. This type of elevator can
either be on an incline or vertical, but will most often be industrial grade to accommodate
those heavy loads. In fact, the first type of elevator which comes to mind when thinking of
outdoor elevators is actually freight elevators.

Freight elevators include the following classes:

a. Class A: General Freight Loading
Where the load is distributed, the weight of any single piece is not more than 1/4 the
capacity of the elevator and the load is handled on and off the car platform manually or by
means of hand trucks.
b. Class B: Motor Vehicle Loading
The freight elevator is used solely to carry automobile trucks or passenger automobiles up to
the rated capacity of the elevator.
c. Class C1: Industrial Truck Loading
A four-wheeled vehicle may be used to load and unload the elevator. The combined weight
of the vehicle and the load cannot exceed the rated capacity and may be rolled onto the
platform as a single unit.
Class C2: Industrial Truck Loading
During loading and unloading, max load on the platform may be up to 150% of the rated
capacity. This enables you to use a forklift to load a car with freight weighing up to the rated
capacity.
Class C3: Other forms of Industrial Truck Loading
During the loading and unloading process, the rated capacity must never be exceeded.

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2.3.3.2 Commercial Dumbwaiter
They are economic solution for moving material from floor to floor in a multi-level commercial
environment. They can carry loads up to 500 kgs.
Commercial Dumbwaiter used to Save manpower, save space, save time, save energy and
help avoid workplace injuries.
Typical materials handled in a commercial environment can be Food, Dishes & Cutlery,
Documents, Clothing, Carts or Shoes.
Commercial Dumbwaiter can have one of the following types or configurations:

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 Commercial Dumbwaiter Configeration

2.3.4 Parking Buildings Elevators

2.3.4.1 Parking Elevators for Passengers

Most parking garages have parking elevators for passengers that allow them the
convenience of going up or down several levels without the necessity of climbing stairs.
Sometimes these elevators have front and rear entry and can be built with a number of
optional features such as key access to certain floors. Most underground garages have
parking elevators for passengers.

2.3.4.2 Conventional Parking Elevators

The conventional parking elevators are built to move vehicles to upper or lower levels of the
building because of their space saving feature. With ramps on and off parking levels
consume a lot of space which could be better utilized as parking spaces for vehicles. With
the addition of parking elevators, vehicles can be transported up and down as many levels
as necessary by taking up only the space required for that vehicle. But maintain the need for
attendants to sit in the car, in the elevator and park it on the floor on which there is space.

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2.3.4.3 Auto Car Parking Elevators

As against cars being driven (on ramps) or carried (in car lifts) to different levels in
conventional multi-level parking, cars are driven at only one level for parking or retrieval,
Cars are parked in steel pallets and a target pallet comes up or down to the driveway level at
the press of a button, for parking or retrieval.
Such car parking systems or auto parking systems are also referred to by various other
names in different parts of the world, such as “auto-parking”, "stack-parking", "mechanized
parking", "mechanical parking", "parkomat", “modular parking” etc.
This type can be divided to many different types as follows:

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 Auto Car Parking Elevators Types

2.4 ACCORDING TO SPECIAL USES

2.4.1 Double-deck Elevator
Double-deck elevators save time and space in high-occupancy buildings by mounting one
car upon another. One car stops at even floors and the other stops at the odd floors.
Depending on their destination, passengers can mount one car in the lobby or take an
escalator to a landing for the alternate car. A Double-Deck Elevators Improve Efficiency
A double-deck elevator system has two elevator cabs attached, with one on top of the other.
This design allows passengers on consecutive floors to use the elevators at the same time,
which increases capacity and reduces wait times. This is an important consideration in high-
rise buildings with heavy traffic.
With a traditional elevator system, it could be necessary to stop on every floor. With a
double-deck system, each cab can be assigned to either odd or even floors during peak
times. This can cut the number of stops in half.
Some double-deck elevator systems do not transport two groups of passengers at the same
time. Rather, one elevator cab moves passengers while the other is used to transport goods
from one floor to another.
Double-deck elevators work in a way similar to trains. Both move passengers in connected
cars using a single drive system.
Double-deck elevators are becoming increasingly popular in skyscrapers because they
dramatically reduce the amount of space required for elevator shafts. This allows for better
use of space and more room for offices, apartments, or other uses.
Double-deck elevators have been used in skyscrapers around the world.
The 110-storey Sears Tower in Chicago, which was completed in 1973, was the first
skyscraper to utilize sky lobbies with double-deck elevators, as well as local single-deck
elevators. The 88-storey Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were the first buildings

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to use all double-deck local elevators, as well as a single zone of double-deck shuttle
elevators. The 101-floor Taipei Financial Center was the first building to use all double-deck
local elevators and dual zone double-deck shuttle elevators.

2.4.2 Sky Lobby

In very tall buildings, elevator efficiency can be increased by a system that combines
express and local elevators. The express elevators stop at designated floors called sky
lobbies. There, passengers can transfer to local elevators that will take them to their desired
floor. By dividing the building into levels served by the express elevators, the local elevators
can be stacked to occupy the same shaft space. That way, each zone can be served
simultaneously by its own bank of local elevators.
A sky lobby is 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. When designing very tall (super-tall) 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

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passengers off and on. This incre
increases
ases 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
deck elevators
elevators.)

Early uses of the sky lobby include the original Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and
the John Hancock Center in Chicago.
The John Hancock Center's sky lobby on the 44th floor serves only the residential portion of
the building that occupies floors 4545–92.
92. Three express elevators run from the residential
lobby on the ground floor to the 44th floor, with two of the el
elevators
evators stopping at the parking
garage's main level on floor 6. At floor 44, residents transfer to two banks of three elevators.
One bank serves floors 45–65 65 and the other serves 65
65–92.
92. Although all six elevators stop at
floor 65, this floor is roughly the same layout as the residential floors immediately above and
below it. It is not a sky lobby because residents can also board elevators to higher floors at
floor 44.
The Hancock's 44th floor sky lobby includes a pool, gym, dry cleaner, convenience store,
about
bout 700 mailboxes, two "party" rooms, a sitting area overlooking Lake Michigan, a small
library, a refuse room (with trash chutes emptying here), offices for the managers of the
residential condominium,[2] and a polling station for residents during elections.
Floors above 92 are serviced by direct passenger elevators from the ground floor, by an
emergency elevator from the ground floor, and by two freight elevators that run from floors
44 to 98.

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