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A Template for an Undergraduate Elective Final Year Elevator Engineering

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10th Symposium on Lift & Escalator Technologies September 2019

A Template for an Undergraduate Elective Final Year

Elevator Engineering Course
Lutfi Al-Sharif
Professor, Mechatronics Engineering Department, The University of Jordan
Consultant, Peters Research Ltd.
Visiting Professor, The University of Northampton

Keywords: elevator; lift; elevator traffic engineering; elevator electrical engineering; elevator
mechanical engineering; guide rails; ropes; safety devices; safety gear; speed governor; electrical
logic controller; electrical speed controller; traction motor; drive system; sensors and transducers.

Abstract. Elevators offer an ideal final year engineering capstone course, due to the multi-
disciplinary nature of its potential content. This paper sets out to develop a template for planning and
delivering such a course at under-graduate engineering level based on experience gained at the School
of Engineering at the University of Jordan.
There are basically four streams within this course: Traffic analysis and design; space and layout
planning; mechanical elevator engineering and electrical elevator engineering. Thus, it is ideal as a
final year undergraduate elective course for mechanical, electrical and mechatronics engineering
programmes.
The traffic engineering stream introduces the students to the basic concepts of the round-trip
time, the interval, the handling capacity as well as basic introduction to the concept of group control
and dispatching. The space and layout planning stream introduces the concepts of shaft dimensions,
pit depth and headroom, as well as structural forces in the pit. The electrical stream introduces the
student to the concept of a safety circuit and safety devices, DC and AC motors, drive systems as well
as electronic logic controllers. The mechanical stream introduces the students to the main mechanical
components such as gearboxes, ropes, safety gears, speed governors, sheaves, guide rails and buffers.
Providing such an introductory course in elevator engineering allows the students to reinforce
concepts that they had studied earlier in non-applied basic courses and provides an opportunity to
develop multi-disciplinary integrated design skills. The long-term aim of this project is to build an
open access repertoire of study material, assessment tools and question banks as well as software that
can be used to deliver and study the course.

1. INTRODUCTION
There is great emphasis in modern engineering education on project-based learning (PBL) and
multidisciplinary engineering. It has been well recognised that elevators offer an ideal subject for the
application of such projects, especially for electrical, mechanical and mechatronics engineering.
This paper is the result of experience by the author in delivering a final year elective course
in the Department of Mechatronics Engineering at the School of Engineering, The University of
Jordan. The course is entitled: “Selected Topics in Mechatronics Engineering” and can contain any
content that is relevant to mechatronics engineering. The course has been delivered around the area
of elevator engineering around 6 times over the period between 2013 and 2018.
Based on the author’s personal experience, the feedback from the students regarding these
courses has been very positive. Students enjoy this type of course because they feel it is linked to a
real-life system and that it addresses real life problems. In addition, the students are expected to work
in a group on a project within the course, which allows them to reinforce some of the concepts by
applying them in practice.

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Similar work has been carried out on the Mechatronics System Design course for final year
undergraduate student ([1], [2], [3]). Final year courses usually include a capstone course which aims
to encourage the student to use all the concepts that he has learnt in a design project ([4], [5], [6], [7],
[8], [9], [10], [11], [12]).

Section 2 outlines the contents of typical course. Section 3 lists and discusses typical topics that can
be discussed in class to stimulate debate and discussion. Three typical course projects are discussed
in section 4. The three advantages of using elevator engineering as the basis for this course are
discussed in section 5. Conclusions are drawn in section 6.

2. CONTENTS OF A TYPICAL COURSE

The course comprises four main streams: elevator traffic engineering, elevator space planning,
elevator electrical engineering and elevator mechanical engineering.
The elevator traffic engineering stream provides the students with a basic understanding of
the methods of describing traffic in a building, the concept of the arrival rate (AR%) and the concept
of handling capacity of the elevator traffic system, the definition of the round trip time, and how to
find the suitable number of elevator to meet the required demand. A comprehensive set of resource
that have been prepared especially for this course entitled “Modern Elevator Traffic Engineering
(METE) can be found in references ([13], [14], [15], [16]. [17], [18]. [19]) that have been adopted by
others [20]. The students solve simple problems in finding the suitable number of elevators required
for a certain building, establishing the interval as the index of the quality of service and the handling
capacity as the index of the quantity of service. Student are also encouraged to use MATLAB to
evaluate the Round-Trip Time using the Monte Carlo Simulation method [28]. A simple introduction
to group control is given (an METE resource can be found in [21]), with some emphasis on sectoring
as a tool for group control during incoming traffic. Graphical methods are also used to solve more
advanced problems (the HARint Space [22]) in a way similar to the Root Locus Method developed
by Evans used in control systems.
Under the elevator space planning stream, the four critical dimensions of the elevator shaft
are explained: the shaft width, the shaft depth, the headroom and the pit depth. The use of the ISO
4190 standard is encouraged in order to find standard preferred sizes for car capacity, speed and shaft
sizes. It is very appropriate at this stage to introduce the concept of preferred number and the concept
of the Renard Series (R5, R10, R20 and R40) and the rationale for their use industry in general. An
analysis of the forces that can occur on the pit floor are also discussed, based on the reaction force
under the guide rails and the buffers.
In the elevator electrical design stream, the general overview of the function of a logical
controller is introduced. The concept of a safety device is discussed. The need to protect against one
single failure taking place is presented practically by introducing possible failures in a control system
and suggesting possible solutions to prevent them from causing a dangerous situation. An excellent
resource for the concepts of safety in control systems can be found in [23] written by the Heath &
Safety Executive (HSE). The whole system of a speed controller is also introduced with emphasis
on the speed feedback device and associated concepts of stability and disturbance rejection. A good
set of resources on drive systems and electrical machines can be found in ([24], [25], [26], [27]). The
concept of cascade control is presented in the context of a closed loop feedback control of a dc motor
drive elevator. A detailed exercise on sizing an induction motor based on torque requirements and
power requirements is carried out, based on achieving the required starting acceleration.
In the elevator mechanical engineering stream, the students are introduced to the general
mechanical arrangement of the traction elevator, including the ropes, the sheave, the overspeed
governor, the safety gear, the buffer system, the gearbox and the mechanical braking system. The
main resource used for elevator mechanical design was the textbook by Janovsky [29]. It is very
useful at this point to get the students to gain a general appreciation of the integrated safety system
that is made up of the mechanical brakes, the overspeed governor, the safety gear and the buffers and
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where each component’s contribution is required. This allows the student to understand that
engineering designs need to be safe as well as functional; that the engineering designer needs to
consider faulty conditions in addition to normal functional conditions. Sizing the ropes would be a
useful exercise in order to understand the concept of the safety factor (16 for one single rope; 12 for
two or more ropes). This introduces the student to the concept of a safety margin in design, which is
a central concept in engineering design in all engineering disciplines.

3. INTERESTING EXAMPLES OF LINKS TO ENGINEERING TOPICS

There are specific featured topics that attract a lot of interest and excitement from students and enrich
the lecture environment by stimulating discussion. The following list includes some of these concepts
that can be introduced or reinforced during the course:

Probability Calculations for the Traffic

Many of the important concepts of probability theory are encountered when deriving the basic
equations for the round-trip time, such as the concept of the mean value of a random variable,
independent events and conditional probability. These are needed when driving the expected number
of stops (S) in a round trip and the expected value of the highest reversal floor (H). The use of Venn
diagrams is a great tool for clarifying some of these concepts.

Using Queueing Theory to Calculate Waiting Time and Queue Lengths

The number of passengers waiting for an elevator, the formation of queues and the operation of the
elevators as servers is a topic ideally dealt with using queuing theory. A resource that explains the
application of queueing theory to elevator traffic systems can be found in [30]. Queuing theory has
been used to find the value of the average waiting time and the average queue length under steady
state conditions (i.e., when the elevator system is subjected to a constant passenger arrival rate for a
long period of time such that the system arrives at a steady state condition).

Kinematic Analysis Modelling

The development of the speed-time curve for an elevator and the inclusion of the values of the rated
jerk and rated acceleration can be introduced in a very interesting way when looking at the movement
of the elevator car. The students are encouraged to use MATLAB/Simulink to generate the curves
and extract data from them. As will be seen later in the projects section, they can also use an
accelerometer to measure acceleration from a real elevator and extract the speed against time profile
and the displacement against time profile.

Energy and Power Modelling of an Elevator System

Energy modelling and simulation is also an interesting area that students can explore and research in
more detail. For example, they calculate the amount of potential energy stored in the mechanical
components such as the car and the counterweight, the translational and rotational kinetic energy
stored in the masses and the inertias, respectively ([31], [32]). They can also calculate the frictional
losses incurred in the shaft. They can also measure the actual power consumed and regenerated by
the elevator systems as it is moving upwards and downwards (and is the elevator system is
accelerating and decelerating).

The Space Elevator and Rope Sizing for Elevators

One of the main components that needs to be sized in elevator systems is the diameter and number of
ropes that must be used. This takes into consideration yield stress of steel ropes, the masses of the
counterweight and the elevator car, the masses of passengers, as well as the required safety factors to
account for dynamic forces. Once students have carried out the sizing of ropes for an elevator, it is
interesting to ask them to find the limitation of steel ropes (e.g., current limit is around 600 m
assuming the safety factors are adhered to). This often leads to the discussion of using carbon
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nanotubes in the proposed space elevator (Figure 1) that have a higher yield strength and lower density
compared to steel ropes. Students find this topic thought provoking and fascinating. The students
start to have an appreciation for the limitation placed on conventional materials and how they can be
overcome with modern materials.

Figure 1: The Space Elevator (and the use of carbon nanotubes to connect it to earth). Accessed on: 29th
June 2019: https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/space-flight/a-hoist-to-the-heavens

Buckling in Guide Rails

When considering the distance between the fixing for guide rails, one of the items that must be
considered is the risk of buckling. Buckling is a topic that is often included in Strength of Materials
courses (Figure 2). Euler’s formula is used to decide if buckling will take place, and if so, the critical
distance between fixing points that will prevent buckling.

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Figure 2: The concept of buckling in slender element subjected to compression.

4. POSSIBLE COURSE PROJECTS

As this course is usually run for final year students, it is ideally placed to include a project within it.
Students are asked to work in groups of 2 or 3. A number of suggested projects are offered to students
to work on. They are usually given a period of 4 to 6 weeks. More details about the application of
project-based learning in undergraduate engineering education can be found in [33]. Some of the
more interesting project are discussed in this section.

Elevator Kinematics Measurement and Filtering

One of the most popular projects that the students enjoyed was measuring the elevator kinematics
from a real elevator and processing the results. The students borrowed a dedicated accelerometer, or
they install an application on their tablet or smart phone. This is then used inside an elevator to
measure the raw acceleration. The students then are taught how to design a suitable second order
digital filter. The block diagram of a digital filter is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: A block diagram of a digital filter.

Once the students have designed a suitable digital filter in MATLAB, they import the raw captured
acceleration data. This is then passed through the second order digital filter for filtering the
acceleration signal. One of the results obtained are shown in Figure 4. The figure shows the raw
acceleration data before filtering the filtered acceleration signal. It can be clearly seen how the filter
has removed the high frequency noisy signal and kept the low frequency acceleration signal.

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Figure 4: A digital filter used in to filter the acceleration data captured from an elevator.

Traction Motor Sizing and Selection

Another one of the popular projects is the sizing and selection of the traction motor for the elevator.
A set of equations are developed that include the masses and the inertias in the elevator components,
the speed reduction ratio of the gearbox, the diameter of the traction sheave and the details of the
traction ropes [34]. These equations are then used in order to calculate the required torque from the
motor that would achieve the required value of the starting acceleration. An overview of the motor,
gearbox, sheave, traction ropes, car and counterweight is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Sizing and selecting a suitable induction motor for the elevator.

Passenger survey in a building

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The group of students would arrange to visit a building and carry out a passenger survey. They work
in a group and synchronise their watches. They have a special form prepared in which they enter the
arrival time of each passenger. They also collect data about the number of occupants on every floor,
and they carry out an accelerometer measurement in order to obtain the rated speed, rated acceleration
and rated jerk of the elevator as well as the floor to floor distance. Using all of the data obtained,
they assess the passenger arrival rate (AR%) and then they reverse design the elevator traffic system
in the building.

5. ADVANTAGES OF THESE TYPES OF COURSES

There are three main advantages of using an elevator engineering course to deliver certain concepts
in engineering.

1. Students are always pointing out that they will be more engaged in their studies if they
understood the real-life applications of the topics. Most of the topics and problems presented
in this course represent real life applications and problems. Thus, they are more appealing to
students as they can better understand the need for analysing these applications and solving
the associated problems.

2. The nature of elevator engineering is ideal for project-based learning. Thus, students can be
given a project that is very practical in nature. They can work on it in teams, solve problems,
and learn by doing things.

3. Elevator systems by their very nature are multidisciplinary. The students can thus deal with
problem that straddle multiple disciplines, such as mechanical engineering, electrical
engineering, control engineering, programming and operational research. This is much more
representative of real-life problems and better prepares the students for the marketplace.

6. CONCLUSIONS
It is well established that courses that address real-life multi-functional systems are ideal for use as .
Examples include, but are not limited to: Automotive systems, manufacturing systems, aircraft
systems and robotic systems. These represent ideal capstone projects for students, due to their
practical nature and the multiplicity of disciplines that they comprise.
This paper has outlined a template for using elevator engineering as the basis for such a final
year course as part of an undergraduate engineering degree (in mechanical engineering, electrical
engineering or mechatronics engineering). Four distinct streams have been identified and detailed:
Elevator traffic engineering, space layout and planning, elevator electrical engineering (include logic
control, safety devices and speed control) and elevator mechanical engineering.
The paper has also highlighted specific topics and links that present excellent opportunities to
present and/or reinforce many concepts that the students traditionally study in dedicated courses (such
as strength of materials, mechanics, electrical machines). These topics always attract a lot of interest
from students and stimulate interesting and thought-provoking debates in class. Examples include:
Rope sizing and the space elevator; and buckling in guide rails.
Project based learning (PBL) presents an excellent tool to encourage student to learn the topics
by working practically on them and gathering real life information. Three examples were given:
Measuring the acceleration of an elevator and filtering the data using a second order digital filter;
carrying out a traffic survey in a building and reverse designing the traffic system; sizing and selecting
the traction motor for a geared elevator.
It has been explained that there are three reasons why this approach is successful in
encouraging students to better learn the engineering concepts: The fact that students understand
WHY they are studying a topic because they can see its real life applications, elevator engineering is
ideal for project based learning (as there are many elevator systems that are everywhere and
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accessible); and the multidisciplinary nature of the elevator engineering system that is ideal for
preparing the students for real life engineering.
The long-term aim of this work is to develop an open online repertoire of resources for
delivering this course at any school of engineering around the world.

REFERENCES
[1] Al-Sharif, L. Twenty engineering principles for undergraduate mechatronics engineering
students. 7th International Symposium on Mechatronics and its Applications, Sharjah, UAE,
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course? 7th International Symposium on Mechatronics and its Applications, Sharjah, UAE,
2010.
[3] Al-Sharif L, Tutunji T A, Ragab D and Kayfi R. Using Elevator system modelling and
simulation for integrated learning in mechatronics engineering. 15th International Workshop
on Research and Education in Mechatronics (REM), 2014; pp 1-8.
[4] de Silva C W. Mechatronics: An integrated approach. CRC Press, 2005.
[5] Jarrah M A. Teaching Mechatronics Design Course for Engineers. IEEE Workshop on
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Philadelphia University, Jordan: Methodology and Experience. IEEE Transactions on
Education, Vol. 52, No. 3 August 2009.
[7] Goldberg J R. Helping students recognize the value of capstone design courses. IEEE
Engineering in Biology and Medicine Magazine, May/June 2009.
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32-44. May/Jun 2015.
[19] Al-Sharif L. The Average Waiting Time and the Average Travelling Time (METE VII). Lift
Report 2015; 41(4): 34-45. July/August 2015.

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[20] Drewer S. Development of tools for planning and comparison of elevators, Ph.D. Thesis.
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, November 2015.
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[22] Al-Sharif L, Abdel Aal O F, Abu Alqumsan A M and Abuzayyad M A. The HARint Space: A
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BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Lutfi Al-Sharif is currently Professor of Building Transportation Systems at of the Department of
Mechatronics Engineering, The University of Jordan. He received his Ph.D. in lift traffic analysis in
1992 from UMIST (Manchester, U.K.). He worked for 10 years for London Underground, London,
United Kingdom in the area of lifts and escalators. He has around 30 papers published in peer
reviewed journals the area of vertical transportation systems and is co-inventor of four patents and
co-author of the 2nd edition of the Elevator Traffic Handbook. He is also a visiting professor at the
University of Northampton (UK), member of the management committee of the annual Symposium
on Lift & Escalator Technologies and a member of the editorial board of the journal Transportation
Systems in Buildings.

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