ESCALATORS

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T R ANS PORTATI ON S YS T EM I N HI GH - RISE B UI LDI NG
• The high-rise building is generally defined as one that is taller than the maximum height which people are willing to walk up, it
thus requires mechanical vertical transportation.
• The building or structure used as a residential and/or office building. In some areas they may be referred to as "MDU" standing
for "Multi Dwelling Unit".
• High-rise buildings became possible with the invention of the elevator (lift) and cheaper, more abundant building materials.

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• Escalator An escalator is a moving staircase a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building.
• The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to
remain horizontal.
• Escalators are used around the world to move pedestrian traffic in places where elevators would be impractical.
• Principal areas of usage include department stores, shopping malls, airports, transit systems, convention centers, hotels, arenas,
stadiums and public buildings.

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• The Advantages and Disadvantages of Escalators, like moving walkways, are often powered by constant-speed alternating current
motors and move at approximately 0.3 - 0.6 m per second.
• The typical angle of inclination of an escalator to the horizontal floor level is 30 degrees with a standard rise[clarification needed]
up to about 18 m.
• Modern escalators have single-piece aluminum or stainless steel steps that move on a system of tracks in a continuous loop.

Advantages Disadvantages
Have the capacity to transport large Only convenient for short vertical
number of people at shorter time. distance, better to use lifts for lengthier
vertical distance
Faster mode of transportation for short Takes up space to install
vertical distances
Can be placed/substituted as normal Higher risk of injuries
staircase even during malfunction.
No waiting internal except during heavy
traffic
May be weather – proved for outdoor use
Moves at a constant speed at
approximately 0.3-0.6m per second with a
standard rise up to about 18m

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Design and Layout Consideration of Escalator
Handrails- Escalators are required to have moving handrails that keep pace with the movement of the
steps. This helps riders steady themselves, especially when stepping onto the moving stairs.
Escalators have three typical configuration options
i. Parallel (up and down escalators side by side or separated by a distance)
ii. Crisscross (minimizes space requirements by "stacking" escalators that go in one direction)
iii. Multiple parallel (two or more escalators together that travel in one direction next to one or two
escalators)
iv. Spiral (develop more comfortable public environments for humankind and a pioneering
technology)

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• A n u mb e r o f f a ct or s a f f ect e s c al at or d e s i g n
1. P h y s i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s - Physical factors like the vertical and horizontal distance to be spanned must be considered.
These factors will determine the pitch of the escalator and its actual length. The ability of the building infrastructure to support
the heavy components is also a critical physical concern.
2. L o c a t i o n - Location is important because escalators should be situated where they can be easily seen by the general public. In
department stores, customers should be able to view the merchandise easily.
3. T r a f f i c p a t t e r n s - Up and down escalator traffic should be physically separated and should not lead into confined spaces.
Traffic patterns must also be anticipated in escalator design. In some buildings, the objective is simply to move people from one
floor to another, but in others there may be a more specific requirement, such as funneling visitors towards a main exit or
exhibit. The number of passengers is important because escalators are designed to carry a certain maximum number of people.
4. S a f e t y c o n s i d e r a t i o n s - Escalators help in controlling traffic flow of people. For example, an escalator to an exit
effectively discourages most people from using it as an entrance, and may reduce security concerns. Similarly, escalators often
are used as the exit of airport security checkpoints. Such an egress point would generally be staffed to prevent its use as an
entrance, as well. It is preferred that staircases be located adjacent to the escalator if the escalator is the primary means of
transport between floors. It may also be necessary to provide an elevator lift adjacent to an escalator for wheelchairs and
disabled persons.
5. A e s t h e t i c p r e f e r e n c e s - Consideration should be given to the aesthetics of the escalator. The architects and designers
can choose from a wide range of styles and colors for the handrails and balustrades.

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E s c a l at or C o mponent
Landing platforms
• These two platforms house the curved sections of the tracks, as well as the gears and motors that drive the stairs.
• The top platform contains the motor assembly and the main drive gear, while the bottom holds the step return idler sprockets.
These sections also anchor the ends of the escalator truss.
• In addition, the platforms contain a floor plate and a comb plate.
• The floor plate provides a place for the passengers to stand before they step onto the moving stairs.
• This plate is flush with the finished floor and is either hinged or removable to allow easy access to the machinery below.
• The comb plate is the piece between the stationary floor plate and the moving step.
• It is so named because its edge has a series of cleats that resemble the teeth of a comb.
• These teeth mesh with matching cleats on the edges of the steps.
• This design is necessary to minimize the gap between the stair and the landing, which helps prevent objects from getting caught
in the gap.

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Truss:
• The truss is a hollow metal structure that bridges the lower
and upper landings.
• It is composed of two side sections joined together with
cross braces across the bottom and just below the top.
• The ends of the truss are attached to the top and bottom
landing platforms via steel or concrete supports
• . The truss carries all the straight track sections connecting
the upper and lower sections.

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Tracks
• The track system is built into the truss to guide the step chain, which
continuously pulls the steps from the bottom platform and back to the top
in an endless loop.
• There are actually two tracks: one for the front wheels of the steps (called
the step-wheel track) and one for the back wheels of the steps (called the
trailer-wheel track).
• The relative positions of these tracks cause the steps to form a staircase as
they move out from under the comb plate.
• Along the straight section of the truss the tracks are at their maximum
distance apart.
• This configuration forces the back of one step to be at a 90-degree angle
relative to the step behind it.
• This right angle bends the steps into a shape resembling a staircase.
• At the top and bottom of the escalator, the two tracks converge so that
the front and back wheels of the steps are almost in a straight line.
• This causes the stairs to lay in a flat sheet like arrangement, one after
another, so they can easily travel around the bend in the curved section of
track.
• The tracks carry the steps down along the underside of the truss until they
reach the bottom landing, where they pass through another curved section
of track before exiting the bottom landing.
• At this point the tracks separate and the steps once again assume a
staircase configuration.
• This cycle is repeated continually as the steps are pulled from bottom to
top and back to the bottom again.

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Steps
• The steps themselves are solid, one piece, die-cast aluminum or steel. Yellow demarcation lines may be added to
clearly indicate their edges.
• "step-type" escalators featured flat treads and smooth risers; other escalator models have cleated treads and
smooth risers.
• The steps are linked by a continuous metal chain that forms a closed loop.
• The front and back edges of the steps are each connected to two wheels.
• The rear wheels are set further apart to fit into the back track and the front wheels have shorter axles to fit into the
narrower front track.
• As described above, the position of the tracks controls the orientation of the steps.

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Handrail
• The handrail provides a convenient handhold for passengers while they are riding the escalator. In an escalator, the
handrail is pulled along its track by a chain that is connected to the main drive gear by a series of pulleys.
• It is constructed of four distinct sections.
• At the center of the handrail is a "slider", also known as a "glider ply", which is a layer of a cotton or synthetic textile.
• The purpose of the slider layer is to allow the handrail to move smoothly along its track.
• The next layer, known as the "tension member", consists of either steel cable or flat steel tape, and provides the
handrail with tensile strength and flexibility.
• On top of tension member are the inner construction components, which are made of chemically treated rubber
designed to prevent the layers from separating.
• In the factory, handrails are constructed by feeding rubber through a computer controlled extrusion machine to
produce layers of the required size and type in order to match specific orders.
• The component layers of fabric, rubber, and steel are shaped by skilled workers before being fed into the presses,
where they are fused together

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• Safety Procedures in Handling Escalator Incidents involving elevators and escalators kill about 30 and seriously
injure about 17,100 people each year in the United States.
• Injuries to people working on or near escalator including those installing, repairing, and maintaining, and
working in or near shafts account for almost half of the deaths.
• The two major causes of death are falls and being caught in/between moving parts of escalators.
• For the safety when used the escalator follow by:
I. Wear Safe Clothes and Shoes Wearing long sweaters, mittens, long skirts, untied shoelaces, drawstrings in
waistbands or sweatshirts, wide pants, scarves and soft-sided shoes are very dangerous as they can get stuck
in escalators. So remove these types of things during your escalator ride to protect yourself from an
accident.
II. Always Hold the Handrail Handrails are designed to keep you in place while moving so always hold them.
Handrails decrease the risk of slipping and tripping accidents. While the escalator moves, they will help you
to remain on place.
III. Always Face Forward When standing on the escalator, always face forward on the middle of the step.
IV. Also keep the feet somewhat apart and don’t touch the stationary sides.
V. Facing forward will also help you to take necessary actions if the person riding in front of you falls by
accident.

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iv. Keep Space Always keep space between you and the person riding in
front of you to decrease the chances of injury. To avoid injury, just wait for
some steps to pass over after the person riding the escalator in front you
climbs on. This will also avoid crowding at the exit of the escalator.
v. Don’t Put Children in Strollers, carts, or walkers During an escalator ride,
never use walkers, strollers or carts as they can create danger for you and
other people. So before climbing on an escalator, remove babies and
toddlers from walkers, strollers or carts.
vi. Always Secure Children When riding on escalator, allow children to
stand on the same step or in front of you so that you can easily reach to
them in case of an emergency. Also hold hand of your children and don’t let
them to play, jump or sit on the steps as even a simple fall can cause cut on
the jagged metal steps.
vii. Avoid the Edges of Steps When riding on the escalator always avoid the
edges of steps where entrapment may occur. All the escalators are designed
to show the edges where you may entrap. To avoid entrapments, there are
yellow lines on the sides of the escalator steps which show where you have
to keep your feet.
viii. Know Emergency Shut-off Buttons You should know where the
emergency shut-off buttons are placed in case you want to stop escalator.
Generally, these buttons are at the top and bottom of escalators on the
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ix. Others Safety Tips
a) Don’t ride on escalator with barefoot.
b) Never ride in the opposite direction of the escalator.
c) People who are wearing bifocals should pay particular
attention.
d) Watch the direction of the moving step while climbing
or exiting the escalator.
e) Always hold small packages tightly in one hand and
hold the handrail with other hand.
f) Make your kids aware of how to get off and on the
escalator by verbal commands and modeling the action
with them.
g) Never allow the children to use an escalator
unattended as well as don’t let them to drag their feet
on the sides.

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• Green light : takes care of the passengers riding safety.
• Non reversing safety device: stops escalator if the direction of the operation is reversed.
• Handrail static device: prevents static energy with handrail rollers instead blocking static electricity.
• Driving Chain safety Device: stops escalator if the driving chain breaks
• Step safety switch: stops escalator if the steps are acting abnormal.
• Emergency stop device: in an emergency , stop the escalator immediately, if pressed.
• Skirt guard safety device: stop escalator if objects are caught between step and skirt.
• Comb plate safety switch: stop escalator if objects re caught between comb plate and step thread.
• Entry switch: stop escalator if hand or object is pulled into the handrail inlet.
• Step chain safety device: stops the escalator is the step chain breaks or becomes loose.
• Step roller safety device: stops escalator if steps are operating in abnormal manner.

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