ENDURING VALUES OF

ARCHITECTURE
SURVIVAL (to protect)
GOOD LIFE (to nurture)
ART (to transform)

CONTEMPORARY VALUES
Human (functional, social, physical,
physiological, psychological)
Environmental (site, climate, context,
resources, waste)
Cultural (historical, institutional, political,
legal)
Technological (materials, systems,
processes)
Temporal (growth, change, permanence)
Economic (finance, construction, operations,
maintenance, energy)
Aesthetic ( form, space, color, meaning)
Safety (structural, fire, chemical, personal,
criminal)

BUILDING
UTILITIES
2
VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS
Lecture 1

INTRODUCTION to
One of the more important decisions to be
LECTURE

made in the design of a multi-story building is

the selection of the vertical transportation
equipment that is, the passenger service, the
freight elevator, the escalator and the ramp.
They have different dimensions and uses
according to building type & number of users
in it.
The quality of these equipment is an important
factor in a tenants choice of space in
competing buildings.

ELEVATORS

 An elevator,or lift, 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.

IDEAL PERFORMANCE OF
AN ELEVATOR
Provide minimum waiting time for a car at any floor level
INSTALLATION
Comfortable acceleration

Rapid transportation
Smooth, rapid braking
Accurate automatic leveling at all stops
Provide quick, quiet power operation of doors
Good floor and travel direction indication, both in the cars and
at landings
Easily operated car and landing call buttons (or other devices)
Smooth, quiet, and safe operation of all mechanical equipment
for all conditions of loading
Comfortable lighting
Reliable emergency and security equipment
Generally pleasant car atmosphere
Design of cars, shaftway doors, and elevator lobbies must have
architectural unity with the building

TYPES OF ELEVATORS
According
According
According
According
According

to
to
to
to
to

Hoist Mechanism.
Building Height.
Building Type.
Elevator Location.
Special Uses.

TYPES OF ELEVATORS According to HOIST MECHANISM

Hydraulic Elevators
Traction Elevators
Climbing elevator
Pneumatic Elevators

Hydraulic Elevator (Push

Elevators)

It consists of a car attached to the top of an hydraulic jack,

similar to the jack used to lift cars in a service station.
The hydraulic jack assembly normally extends below the
lowest floor and is operated by a hydraulic pump and
reservoir, both of which are located in a separate room
adjacent to the elevator shaft.
The jack is located in a casing, and while it will resist
damage from small amounts of water seepage, total
inundation by floodwaters will usually result to
contamination of the hydraulic oil and possible damage to
the cylinders and seals of the jack.
The hydraulic pump and reservoir are located up to 2 floors
above the jack.
Generally used in single-family residences

A. Holed
(Conventional)
They
have a sheave
that
Hydraulic
Elevators

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.
Maximum travel distance is
approximately 60 feet.

B. Hole-less Hydraulic El

1. Telescopic Hydraulic Eleva

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.

2. Non-telescoping
(single stage)
Hydraulic Elevators
It has one piston and only
allows about 20 feet of travel
distance.

3. Roped Hydraulic Elevat

They use a combination
of ropes and a piston to
move the elevator.
Maximum travel
distance is about 60
feet.

Traction Elevator (Pull

Elevators)
The electric motor and most other
equipment are normally located
above the elevator shaft.
Some equipment, however, such as
the counterweight roller guides,
compensation cable and pulleys,
and oil buffers, usually must be
located at the bottom of the shaft.
Traction-type elevators are further
classified according to elevator
machines used:
Gearless traction machine
Geared traction machine

GEARLESS TRACTION
MACHINE
Consists of a dc or ac motor, the

shaft of which is directly connected

to a brake wheel and driving
sheave
Absence of gears means that the
motor must run at the same
relatively low speed as the driving
sheave
Utilized for medium- and highspeed elevators, that is, 2.50
meters per second (m/s) and
above.
Motors range from 20 to 400hp
For passenger service, with car
capacities of 1000 to 2000 kgs
Considered superior to a geared
machine because it is more
efficient, quieter in operation,
requires less maintenance, and
has longer life
Generally chosen where the height
(rise) is more than 76 meters and
very smooth, high-speed operation
is desired

GEARED TRACTION
MACHINE
Consists of a dc or ac
motor, has a worm and gear
interposed between the
driving motor and hoisting
sheave
The driving motor can either
be a smaller unit rather
than a large unit that a
gearless installation would
require
Utilized for car speeds of up
to 2.50 meters per second
and a maximum rise of up
to 100 meters.

Machine-Room-Less Elevators
They are typically traction elevators that do not have a
dedicated machine room above the elevator shaft.
This was made possible by the development and application
of permanent magnet (PM) system technology in the lift
motor that reduced the size of the motor by up to four
times.
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.

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.

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.

TYPES OF ELEVATORS 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

TYPICAL DOUBLE-DECK ELEVATORS

TYPES OF ELEVATORS According to BUILDING TYPE

Elevators will be classified according tobuilding type
to 6 main types as follows:
Hospital Elevators
Residential /Domestic Elevators
Agricultural Elevators
Industrial Elevators
Commercial Elevators
Parking buildings Elevators

TYPES OF ELEVATORS According to LOCATION

Outdoor
Observation
Elevators
elevatorputs the cab on

the outside of the building.

Traction lifting machine is
placed behind the cab.
Glass-walled elevator cars
allow passengers to view
the cityscape or the
buildings atrium as they
travel.
By eliminating the hoist
ways, the observation
elevator also offers owners,

 Incline Elevators are

most often recognized as
passenger elevators
called ski lifts.
However, outdoor
elevators that move
cargo on an incline are
generally constructed
with a conveyor belt and
most often seen when
loading cargo on ships
and some types of
aircraft.
Outdoor elevators built
on an incline can also be

 Slant elevator have been

constructed in numerous
locations where a building
is built onto an inclined
surface
The motive machine used
varies with the angle of
inclination
The car rides on inclined
rails and is pulled up by a
traction cable
Counterweighted either by
a weight riding on another
set of rails, in case of a
single car, or by the
weight of another car in a
2-car installation

Platform Elevators
While it is possible to use
platform elevators indoors they
are generally classified as outdoor
elevators because that is where
they are most often used.
Platform elevators usually are not
enclosed by having a have a
fence or gate running around the
perimeter to keep cargo from
slipping off during transport.
Platform elevators usually use a
system of pulleys as the working
mechanism.
Outdoor elevators consisting of a
platform are most often used at
new construction sites but they
can also be used for such things
as elevating workmen renovating
the faade of a building or

 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

KEY PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS FOR
FREIGHT
Size of load ELEVATORS

Type of load
Method of loading
Travel
Type of doors
Speed and capacity of cars

LOAD CLASSIFICATIONS
FOR
FREIGHT
ELEVATORS

Class A. General Freight Loading by hand truck

Single items may not exceed 25% of the car-rated load. The
rated load is based on 50psf of net inside platform area.

Class B. Motor Vehicle Loading

The elevator cars will carry automobiles or automobile

trucks. The rating is based on a load of 30psf of net inside
platform area.

Class C1. Industrial Truck Loading

Truck carried

Class C2. Industrial Truck Loading

Truck not carried

Class C3. Concentrated Loading

No trucks used; increments greater than 25% rated capacity
For Classes C1, C2, and C3, the rated load is based on 50psf. Elevator cars have
automatic leveling.

FREIGHT ELEVATOR
DESCRIPTION
Speeds are generally between 50 and 200 fpm (0.25
and 1.00 m/s)
Uses a geared-type traction machine or a hydraulic
unit
Preferred system of control is collective, with a
variable-voltage , dc supply, either unit multivoltage
(UMV) or variable-voltage variable-frequency (VVVF)
Accurate leveling is not essential
Rougher ride is tolerable
For low-rise installations, a hydraulic at speeds of up
to unit is most often employed (rarely exceed 18
meters in height and operates at speed of 0.60 m/s)
Accessories, such as generators, safety devices, and
brakes are similar to those for passenger elevators
Load ranges of up to 20,000 lbs are standard design
items for general-purpose freight elevators. Units of
20,000 lbs and more require special safety devices.

FREIGHT ELEVATOR
DESCRIPTION
Applicable to all types of commercial and industrial

buildings.
Must be provided with additional and adequate
structural supports
Uses a 2:1 roping arrangement
Cars for freight service are normally built of heavy-gauge
steel with multi-layer wooden floor
The entire unit must be designed for hard service
Guarded ceiling light fixtures are required
Car gates slide vertically and are a minimum of 6ft high.
Hoistway doors are normally vertical-lift, center-opening,
manual or power-operated
Both car gate and hoistway doors are counterweighted
and open fully to give complete floor and head clearance

Indoor elevators
All elevators installed inside a building which usually
need a hoist ways and pits.

TYPES OF ELEVATORS According to SPECIAL USES

Elevators can be classified according tospecial use
types as follows:
Handicap Elevators
Grain Elevators
Double-deck Elevators
Sky lobby Elevators
Limited Use/Limited Application (LU/LA) Elevators

HANDICAP ELEVATORS
Residential Elevators and Chair Lifts
Low-speed, low-rise, limited-load units
Maximum size of 18sf, load of 1400 lbs,
rise of 25 ft and speed of 30 fpm
Available in a range of installation
designs; winding-drum units, roped
hydraulics, and worm-and-screw units
Safety requirements are different from
standard traction elevators

STANDARD ELEVATOR LAYOUTS

Arrangement (A):Car with side opening door and

the counterweight is located at the back wall.

Arrangement (B): Car with central opening door and

the counterweight is located at the back wall.

Arrangement (C):Car with side opening door and

the counterweight is located at one side.

Arrangement (D):Car with central opening door and

the counterweight is located at one side.

PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS
OF AN ELEVATOR

PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS
OF AN ELEVATOR
Car

A cage of some fire-resistant material supported on a structural frame, to

the top member of which the lifting cables are fastened
Guided in its vertical travel in the shaft by guide shoes on the side
members
Provided with safety doors, operating control equipment, floor-level
indicators, illumination, emergency exits, and ventilation

Cables

Ropes that are made of groups of steel wires designed to carry the
weight of the car and its live load and are usually 1/2or 5/8 in diameter
each
They are used on traction type elevators and placed in parallel are 4 to 8
cables, depending on car speed and capacity, and fastened to the crosshead (top beam of the elevator)
Multiple ropes are used primarily to increase the traction area on the
drive sheaves and also increase the elevator safety factor
Cables from the top of the car pass over a motor-driven cylindrical
sheave at the traction machine and then downward to the counterweight

PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS
OF AN ELEVATOR
Elevator machines

Turn the sheave and lifts or lowers the car

Consist of a heavy structural frame on which are mounted the
sheave and the driving motor, gears (if any), brakes, magnetic
safety brakes, and other auxiliaries
In many existing installations, the driving motor receives its
energy from a separate motor-generator (m-g) set which
operates when that particular elevator is available for handling
traffic. This m-g set is considered a part of the elevator
machine and may be located some distance from it
A governor, which limits the car to safe speeds, is mounted on
or near the elevator machine

PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS
OF AN ELEVATOR
Control equipment

Usually divided into three groups:

Drive (motion) control is concerned with the velocity, acceleration, braking,

position determination, and leveling of the car, plus all aspects of door
motion
Operating control covers car door operation and functioning of car signals,
including floor call buttons and all indicating devices
Supervisory control is concerned with group operation of multiple-car
installation

Counterweights

Made up of cut-steel plates stacked in a frame attached to the opposite

ends of the cables to which the car is fastened
Guided in its travel up and down the shaft by 2 guide rails typically
installed on the back wall off the shaft
Its weight equals that of an empty car plus 40% of the rated live load
Provides adequate traction at the sheave for car lifting, reduce size of
traction machine, and reduce power demand and energy cost
Attached to the bottom of the counterweights and the car are
compensation cables intended to compensate for the hoist rope weight

PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS
OF AN ELEVATOR
Shaft or hoistway

Vertical passageway for the car and counterweights

On its sidewalls are the car guide rails and certain mechanical and
electrical auxiliaries of the control apparatus
At the top is the structural platform on which the elevator machine rests.

Elevator machine room

Usually directly above the hoistway

Contains the traction machine and the motor-generator set that supplies
energy to the elevator machine and control equipment

Guide rails

Steel Tracks in the form of a T that run the length of the hoistway,
round, or formed sections with guiding surfaces to guide and direct the
course of travel of an elevator car and elevator counterweights and
usually mounted to the sides of the hoistway.

Elevator Pit

The bottom of the shaft where the car and counterweight buffers are
located

ELEVATOR ROPING and

SHEAVE ARRANGEMENT
The simplest method of arranging vertical
travel of a car is to pass a rope over a
sheave and counter-balance the weight of
the car by a counterweight. Then by
rotating the sheave, the car moves up or
down and requires very little energy to do
it. This is essentially the scheme that is
used on a majority of high-speed passenger
elevators.

ELEVATOR ROPING and

SHEAVE ARRANGEMENT

When 4 or more supporting ropes merely pass over the sheave and
connect directly to the counterweights, the lifting power is exerted
by the sheave through the traction of the ropes in the parallel
grooves on the sheave. This system is referred to as single-wrap
traction elevator machine. This is only possible for small cars
because the distance between the car and counterweight is limited.
The function of the sheave S is merely that of a guide pulley; it is
called deflector sheave.

ELEVATOR ROPING and

SHEAVE ARRANGEMENT
The arrangement shown below is called double-wrap
1:1 roping. The extra wrap provides greater and
reliable traction than the single-wrap arrangement
and is used in many high-speed installation.

ELEVATOR ROPING and

SHEAVE ARRANGEMENT
The 2:1 roping has a mechanical advantage of 2, that is the
ropes move twice as fast as the car. This permits use of a
high-speed, low-power traction machine. This arrangement
is used for a wide variety of installations varying from
medium-speed 2.50m/s to 3.50m/s gearless passenger
elevators to low-speed , heavy-duty freight elevators.

ELEVATOR ROPING and

SHEAVE ARRANGEMENT
The underslung roping arrangement permits the
machine room to be located at the basement floor,
reducing the height needed at the top of the building if
the machine room were at the penthouse. This
arrangement uses geared traction equipment with
speed of up to 2.00 m/s.

ELEVATOR DOORS
The choice of the car and hoistway door affects the speed
and quality of elevator service considerably.
Doors for passenger elevators are power-operated and are
synchronized with the leveling controls so that the doors
are fully opened by the time a car comes to a complete
stop at the landing. The closing time, however, varies with
the type of door and the size of the opening.
For safety reasons, the kinetic energy of an automatic door
is limited to 7 ft-lbs and the closing pressure to 30 lbs.
To provide the fastest closing within this energy limitation,
a center-opening door is used.
Also, to reduce passenger transfer time and avoid
discomfort, a clear opening of 1.07 meters (3 ft-6 in.) is
used in most commercial installations, which permits
simultaneous loading and unloading without undue
passenger contact.
When an opening narrower than 36 inches is used, loading
is delayed until unloading is complete, and the speed and
quality of service are reduced.
Such small doors are applicable only in residential or small,
light-traffic buildings.

ELEVATOR DOORS
A two-speed door design is used where space conditions
dictate or where a wide opening is required. The term twospeed reflects that the 2 halves of the door must travel at
different speeds to complete their travel simultaneously.
Doors can be equipped with an electronic sensing device
that detects passengers in a wide area on the landing in
front of the car door rather than only directly in the doors
path. These devices are useful where passengers cannot
approach the entrance or cannot enter the car quickly , for
example, riders with baggage or holding children, or
people in wheelchair.
All automatic elevators are required to have a safety edge
device on the car doors that causes the car and hoistway
doors , which operate in synchrony, to reopen when the
safety edge device meets an obstruction.

Single-slide door, 24 to 36 in. wide

for small commercial building or
residential use

Standard commercial 42-in. centerOpening door for office building use

Or 48- to 60-in. center opening for
hospital or service car

Two-speed, single-side
42-in. wide for general
and commercial use door

Two-speed, center-opening
60-in. wide for department
store door for freight, passenger
and non-automatic service

ELEVATOR
CAR
CONTROL
The modern elevator control systems include a logic
controller that takes the users input and translates it
into meaningful actions. The logic controller's central
processing unit (CPU) must be given at least three
critical pieces of information, namely:
Where people want to go?
comes directly from the users and the elevator controls
must interface with users requests. In its simplest form,
when the users desire to ride the elevator they press a
button located in the elevator lobby.
Where each floor is?
can often be determined by the addition of holes located
on a long vertical tape inside the elevator shaft. The
elevator car is equipped with a light or magnetic sensor
that reads the number of and which holes are being passed
by the elevator car as it ascends and descends.
Where the elevator car is?
related to the elevator scheduling operations. When a user

ELEVATOR CAR CONTROL

The main aims of the elevator control
system are:
To bring the lift car to the correct floor.
To minimize travel time.
To maximize passenger comfort by
providing a smooth ride.
To accelerate, decelerate and travel within
safe speed limits.

Simple Elevator Control System Inputs and Outputs

Types of Elevator Control

Systems
Single Automatic operation
First automated system w/o single call button on each
floor and single button for each floor inside car.
Called if no one is using it.
Passenger has exclusive use of the car until trip is
complete.

Collective control
Cars stop at each floor that registers a call irrespective of
direction, hence the term collective; slow and annoying
service, and as a result, this system is no longer used in
new installations.

Selective collective operation

Most common, remembers and answers calls in one
direction then reverses. When trip is complete, the car is
programmed to return to a home landing.

Elevator Control System

Components
The elevator control system has a number of
components that can basically be divided into
the following:
Inputs
A- Sensors
B- Buttons
C- Key controls
D- System controls

Outputs
A- Actuators.
B- Bells
C- Displays

Controllers

Elevator Control Input System

Components
A. Sensors
Magnetic and/or photo electric
These pick up signals regarding the location of the car. This
sensor is usually placed on the car itself and reads the
position by counting the number of holes in the guide rail as
they pass by in the photo-electric sensor or in the case of the
magnetic sensor, the number of magnetic pulses.

A. Sensors
Infrared
This is used to detect people entering or leaving the elevator.

A. Sensors
Weight Sensor or Overload Device
This is placed on the car to warn the control system if the
design load is exceeded.

A. Sensors
PVT (primary velocity transducer)
Velocity of the drive sheave is sensed with this encoder.

B. Buttons
Hall Buttons
These buttons are on a button panel on the outside of the
elevator shafts and are used by potential passengers to call an
elevator cab to the floor that the pressed summon button is
located on. There are two hall buttons on each floor one for
up, another for down, except on the top floor where there is only
down and on the bottom floor where there is only up. The
controller interacts with these buttons by receiving press and
release signals indicating the requested direction and floor
number. It also sends light on/off signals to indicate the status of
the buttons.

B. Buttons
Floor Request Buttons
This particular elevator controller will be controlling elevator
cabs that are in a building with 8 floors. Consequently, each cab
has 8 floor request buttons labelled 1 through 8 that passengers
can use to direct the elevator cabs to the floor that they would
like to go to. These buttons are located on a button panel on the
interior of each elevator cab. The controller interacts with these
buttons by receiving pressed signals indicating the desired floor
number and elevator cab which they were pressed from. It also
sends light on/off signals to indicate the status of the buttons.

B. Buttons
Open/Close Door Button
This button is on the interior
button panel of each cab. A
passenger can press this
button to open the elevator
doors or keep pressing it to
keep them open, but only when
the elevator cab is stopped at a
floor. Some elevator systems
also have a close door button,
but this one does not. The
controller interacts with this
button by receiving a signal
when it is pressed and when it
is released. Both of these
signals include the cab from
which they came from.

B. Buttons
Emergency Stop Button
This button is on the interior
button panel of each cab. A
passenger can press this
button to stop the elevator no
matter where it is in a shaft.
The controller interacts with
this button by receiving a
signal from it that indicates
that it was pressed, as well as
the cab that it came from.

B. Buttons
Emergency Bell Button
This button is on the interior
button panel of each cab. A
passenger can press this
button to sound a bell to alert
people outside of the elevator
shaft that someone is trapped
inside the elevator cab in case
of a malfunction. The controller
interacts with this button by
receiving a signal from it that
indicates that it was pressed.

B. Buttons
Registration Panel
Indestination control systems, the conventional hall call
buttons (Up and Down arrows) located at the elevator lobby are
replaced by the registration devices. Passengers register their
destination floor through these registration devices at the lobby
instead of in the elevator. The registration device will display the
elevator that has been assigned for transporting the passenger.
As the passenger has already registered the desired destination
floor, there is no need to input the destination floor in the
elevator.

C. Key controls
Key controls may only be activated by the proper keys, and their
use is thus restricted to repair people, elevator operators or
firemen. It is used in place of or in conjunction with a
pushbutton to restrict access to a floor. Keypads and card
readers are also available. Examples for these keys are as
follows:
Fireman's service, phase II key switch.
An inspector's switch, which places the elevator in inspection
mode (this may be situated on top of the elevator).
Manual up/down controls for elevator technicians, to be used in
inspection mode, for example.
An independent service/exclusive mode Switch (also known as
"Car Preference"), which will prevent the car from answering to
hall calls and only arrive at floors selected via the panel. The
door should stay open while parked on a floor. This mode may
be used for temporarily transporting goods. The controller
interacts with the switch by receiving a signal from it when it has
been toggled to either AUTO or HOLD mode. AUTO is for normal
operation; HOLD is to keep the elevator cab from moving and its
doors from opening or closing.

Key controls

D. System controls
System controls are used to turn the elevator system on or off, system
controls are only accessible from an elevator control room. They would
typically be used quite infrequently perhaps the system would be turned
on early in the morning and turned off late at night, or turned off at the
start of holidays and turned on once the next term begins.

Elevator Control Output System

Components
A. Actuators
Door Opening Device
On top of each elevator cab is a door opening device. This
device opens the inner door of the elevator cab and the outer
door of the elevator shaft simultaneously at each floor. The
controller interacts with the door opening device by sending
signals to open or close the doors and by receiving signals
when the doors have been completely opened or closed. The
signals that the controller receives also indicate which cab
they are coming from.

A. Actuators
Electric motor
The elevator motor is responsible for moving an elevator cab
up and down between floors. As this elevator system uses a
roped mechanism, the elevator engine is connected to a
sheave which the ropes are looped around. The controller
interacts with the elevator engine by sending it a signal that
specifies at which speed and in what direction the engine
should be going in. A stop signal is simply constructed by
setting the speed parameter of the signal to zero.

A. Actuators
Brakes
There a few brake systems in a typical elevator system.
These include the electromagnetic and mechanical brakes.
The electromagnetic brakes activate automatically if there is
a sudden loss of power or when the car is stationary. The
mechanical brakes at the sheave itself also stop the car from
moving when the car is inactive.

B. Bells
Emergency Bell
Somewhere in the elevator system is an emergency bell that is
used to alert people outside of the elevator system that
someone is trapped inside an elevator cab. The controller
interacts with the emergency bell by sending it a signal to
ring.
Load Bell
Each cab has a load bell that is used to alert the passengers
inside the cab that there is too much weight in it to operate it
safely. The controller interacts with the load bell be sending it
a signal to ring.

C. Displays
Car Position Display
The interior of each elevator cab has a display that indicates to
its passengers which floor the elevator cab is currently on.
Some elevator systems have this floor number display on
every floor outside of the elevator doors, but this system
does not. The controller interacts with this display by
sending a signal that tells it which floor number to display.
Can be either analog (individual indicators for each floor) or
digital ( a dot matrix or segmented LED that changes to
indicate the floor level).

C. Displays
Car Direction Display
The interior of each elevator cab has a display that indicates the
current direction of an elevator cab; it is either up or down.
The controller interacts with this display by sending it a
signal that tells it which direction to display.

Elevator Controller System

Components
Controllers
The controlleris a device which manages the visual
monitoring, interactive command control and traffic analysis
system to ensure the elevators are functioning efficiently. The
primary function of the elevator controller is essentially to
receive and process a variety of signals from several different
components of a whole elevator system. It is able to send
signals in response to the ones it receives in order to operate all
of the other components in the system. This exchange of signals
is how the elevator controller is able to keep the elevators
running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.

Controllers
Ways the controller interacts with the other components of the
elevator system:
Controls the speed of elevator engines in order to move
elevator cabs up and down their respective shafts.
Queues and processes elevator summons and floor requests
from passengers through the signals provided to it by several
buttons.
Processes information sent to it by load sensors in order to
ensure that the load of a cab never exceeds the safety limit.
Processes information sent to it by position marker sensors in
order to keep track of where the elevator cabs are at all times,
as well as their speed.
Provides feedback to passengers through the lights on some of
the buttons and the floor number and direction displays in each
cab.
Can sound alarm bells that are either invoked by trapped
passengers or required to warn of excess load in a cab.
Controls the operation of the elevator doors of a cab through
communication with door opening devices.

Types of Elevator Controllers

Relay based controller (electromechanical switching)
A relay is a very dependable device consisting of an
electromagnet that opens and closes contacts, routing the logic
to various circuits. A simple elevator with a few stops and
manual door operation can be served well by a relay controller.
Relays can also be used for more complex elevators, and in fact
were until the 1980's. However, the number of relays required
can make it difficult to troubleshoot should there ever be a
problem.
The following applications may be recommended as suitable for
controllers using electromagnetic relay technology:
Single lifts only.
Drive speed up to 1 m/s.
Passenger lifts in low traffic and usage situations in low-rise
buildings, i.e. not more than three stories (e.g. residential
buildings, very small hotels, nursing homes).
Goods, bullion lifts in low-rise commercial buildings (e.g. offices,
hotels, hospitals).

Solid-State Logic Technology

It includes both discreet
transistors circuits and
integrated circuit boards. It
gives improved reliability, lower
power consumption and easy
fault diagnosis than
electromagnetic relay
technology.
The following applications are
recommended as suitable for
controllers using solid-state
logic technology:
Single lifts and duplex groups.
Drive speed up to 2 m/s.
Passenger lifts in low traffic
situations in medium-rise
buildings, i.e. up to 12 stories
(e.g. residential buildings and
small hotels).

PLC controller (computer based

technology)
The advent of personal
computers has made
microprocessor technology
affordable for many other
fields. Elevator Concepts
utilizes a special type of
industrial computer called a
Programmable Logic
Controller PLC to control the
logic of more complex jobs.
They are very dependable,
compact, and simple to
troubleshoot.
Computer based controllers
are suitable for the following:
All lifts types.
All drive speeds (i.e. 0.5 m/s
to 10 m/s).
Lift groups of all sizes.

ELEVATOR SELECTION
The selection of elevators requires the
simultaneous consideration of several
factors:
Adequate elevator service for the
intended building usage
Economics of elevator selection
Architectural integration of space
assigned to elevators, including lobbies,
shafts, and machine rooms

ELEVATOR SELECTION
The criteria usually used in determining elevator
service quality are:
Interval or lobby dispatch time
Average time between departure of cars from the
lobby

Average lobby time or average lobby waiting time

Average time spent by a passenger between arriving
at the lobby and leaving the lobby in the car. The
average waiting time in the lobby should be half the
interval. (see table)

Handling capacity
Indicates the maximum number of passengers that
can be handled in a given period usually 5 minutes,
thus the term 5-minute handling capacity. When
expressed as a percentage of the buildings
population, it is called percent handling capacity.

ELEVATOR SELECTION
Travel time or average trip time
Average time spent by passengers from the
moment they arrive at the lobby to the moment the
leave the car at an upper floor. A trip of less than a
minute is highly desirable, a 75-second trip is
acceptable, a 90-second trip is annoying, and a 120second trip is the limit of toleration.

Round-trip time
Average time required for a car to make a round
trip, starting from the lower terminal and returning
to it. The time includes a determined number of
upper-floor stops in one direction and, when
calculating elevator requirements based on up-peak
traffic, an express trip.

Registration time
Waiting time at an upper floor after registering a call

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
AND SPATIAL
REQUIREMENTS OF
ELEVATORS

SHAFTS AND LOBBIES

Lobbies obviously must be located above each other.
The ground-floor elevator lobby (also called the lower terminal)
must be conveniently located with respect to the main
entrances. The equipment within or adjacent to this area should
include public telephones, a building directory, elevator
indicators, and possibly a control desk.
All lobbies should be adequate in area for the peak-load
gathering of passengers to ensure rapid and comfortable service
to all. The number of people contributing to the period of peakload (15- to 20-minute peak) determines the required lobby area
on the floor.
Not less than 0.5sm floor space/person should be
provided at peak periods for waiting passengers at a
given elevator or bank of elevators.
The hallways leading to such lobbies should also provide
at least 0.5sm floor space/person, approaching the lobby.
Under relaxed conditions, density is about 0.65sm/person.
Multiple cars in a group with common shafts shall be
separated by steel 'I' beams, which can allow the easy
passage of air between individuals shafts. This would avoid the
'piston effect', and its consequent negative impact upon ride
quality and noise in the lobbies.

LOCATION OF ELEVATORS
Elevators should be located so that the building entrances with
the heaviest traffic shall have adequate elevator service.
Elevators should be as near to the center of the building area
served as practicable, taking into consideration the distance
from the elevator bank or banks to the most distant
functional areas do not exceed a maximum of 45
meters.
As a general guide, the lobby width between two banks of
passenger elevators shall not be less than 3600 mm
and the lobby width between two banks of service
elevators should not be less than 4200 mm.
When designing the service core in relation to the floor plate,
the designer must ensure that the elevator lobby should
not be used as a common or public thoroughfare at
ground-floor level.
Where elevators are accessed from corridors, they shall be
located on one side of the corridor only and shall be set back
from the line of circulating corridors. Elevator
ingress/egress shall be from a distinct elevator lobby
and not directly from a corridor.
Elevator lobbies generate noise and shall be acoustically
isolated from areas sensitive to noise and vibration. Elevators
shall not be placed over occupied spaces as this shall
require counter-weight safeties and reinforced pits.

LOCATION OF ELEVATORS
Egress stairs shall preferably be located
adjacent to elevator lobbies when possible.
Any decentralized banks and/or clustering of elevators
shall be planned to include at least two cars to
maintain an acceptable dispatch interval
between cars and to ensure continuity of service.
Elevators shall preferably provide positive separation
between passenger and freight /service traffic flows.
In facilities that utilize interstitial floors and
mechanical penthouses, at least one elevator shall
stop on these floors to facilitate equipment
maintenance and removal.

FIREMANS LIFT
Firefighting or FIREMANS LIFT is an
essential provision in all of the high-rise
buildings. The important requirements for
design and installation of such a lift are:

Break-glass key switch (at G/F to control the

lift)
Minimum duty load, say 630 kg (for
firefighting equipment)
Minimum internal dimensions,
1100mm(W)x1400mm(D) x 2000mm(H)
An emergency hatch in the car roof
Manufactured from non-combustible material
A two-way intercom
1 hour fire-resisting doors of
800mm(W)x2000mm(H)

LAYOUT OF ELEVATOR
GROUPS
A group of 3 or more is needed to ensure that the waiting
interval between them is not too great.
The cars must all be close enough that an intending user can
take whichever one arrives first. A moderately fast walking
speed is 0.9m/s. If the landing doors are to remain open for
4 seconds, then an unobstructed person can walk briskly a
distance of 3.60m before the doors begin to close again.
2 or 3 cars can be conveniently located side by side.
4 in a row or 2 opposite 2 are both acceptable for a group of
4.
5 in a row is too long a distance for a walk. Door-open time
has to be increased to compensate for the walking distance,
thus reducing the performance of the car group.
5, 6, 7, or 8 cars are best located opposite each other.
Grouping more than 8 cars should be avoided. With larger
number of cars, one is not filled before the next one arrives,
and this causes confusion on the part of the arriving
passengers. This, in turn, increases the number of people
waiting at the lobby.

DOs and DONTs in

ELEVATOR DESIGN
PLANNING

LOCATE ELEVATORS IN THE HOISTWAY IN THE SERVICE

CORE AND SET PASSENGER ELEVATORS BACK 600mm (2
ft) FROM CORRIDOR LINE
LOCATE SERVICE ELEVATORS IN THE HOISTWAY IN THE
SERVICE CORE AND SET SERVICE ELEVATORS BACK
1800mm (6 ft) FROM CORRIDOR LINE

PROVIDE POSITIVE SEPARATION OF PASSENGER &

SERVICE TRAFFIC
PROVIDE 4.2 m (14 ft) MIN WIDTH SERVICE ELEVATOR
LOBBIES
PROVIDE 3.6 m (12 ft) MIN WIDTH PASSENGER ELEVATOR
LOBBIES

PROVIDE STAIRS ADJACENT TO PASSENGER & SERVICE

ELEVATOR LOBBIES

DETERMINING A
WORKABLE ELEVATOR
SYSTEM

LOBBY LOADING TIME

CAPACIT
Y

80%
LOAD

2000

10

TIME TO
LOAD
(secs)
8

2500

12

11

3000

16

14

3500

19

16

4000

22

17

DOOR CLOSING TIME

WIDTH

TYPE

3'-0"
3'-0"

Single slide
Two-speed
Center
opening
Single slide
Two-speed
Center
opening
Two-speed
Center

3'-0"
3'-6"
3'-6"
3'-6"
4'-0"

TIME TO
CLOSE
(secs)
4.3
3.8
2.9
4.9
4.4
3.3
5.0

DOOR OPENING
TIME
TIME REQUIRED PRIOR TO
TRANSFER

TYPE

Single slide

Two-speed

Center opening

WIDTH

w/o
PREMATUR
E OPENING

w/
PREMATUR
E OPENING

3'-0"

2.5

1.0

3'-6"

2.9

1.4

3'-0"

2.9

0.8

3'-6"

3.1

0.9

4'-0"

3.7

1.0

3'-0"

2.3

0.5

3'-6"

2.5

0.6

4'-0"

2.7

0.8

TRANSFER
TIME
CAPACITY

TIME TO
EXIT

2000

1.2

2500

1.5

3000

1.6

3500

1.8

4000

TIME
ELEMENTS
Number of probable
stops
Time to load
passengers
Time to close door and start car
Time to open the doors when car returns
to lobby
Time to start car and stop car when it returns to
lobby
TOTAL TIME SPENT AT THE LOBBY
Time to open the doors at a floor
stop
Time to transfer passengers at a floor
stop
Time to close door at each stop
Time to start and stop at each
floor stop