LIFTS AND ESCALATORS

BUILDING MECHANICAL SERVICES

GROUP-3
INTRODUCTION
The lift is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people
or goods between floors (levels, decks) of a building, vessel or other
structure.

Lifts can be essential for providing vertical circulation, particularly in tall

buildings, for wheelchair and other non-ambulant building users and for the
vertical transportation of goods. Some lifts may also be used for firefighting
and evacuation purposes.

It is generally powered by electric motors that either drive cables, hoist, or

pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack.
MAJOR COMPONENTS
Elevator car: That part of an elevator that includes the platform, Machine room
enclosure, car frame, and door.
Machine Beam
Machine room: This usually located at the top of the shaft and
accommodates the winding machine, etc.

Machine beam: A steel beam, positioned directly over the elevator in

Elevator Car
the machine room and is used to support elevator equipment.

Shaft: A hoistway through which one or more elevator cars may

travel. Shaft

Pit: That part of an elevator shaft that extends from the threshold
level of the lowest landing door down to the floor at the very bottom of Counter weight
or balance weight
the shaft.

Counterweight or balance-weight: A unit, consisting of steel Pit

weights, which counter balance the weight of the car and a portion of
the load, and to which the suspension ropes are attached.
 Control System
Drive and Brake System

Gearless Machine

MAJOR COMPONENTS Primary Velocity Transducer

Smart Primary Position Transducer

Governor

Traction drive: Lift whose lifting ropes are driven by friction in the grooves of the
Hoisting Ropes
driving sheave of the machine. Roller Guides
Secondary Position Transducer
Door Operator

Entrance-Protection System
Travelling cable: Flexible cable providing electrical connection between the lift
Load-Weighing Transducers
car and a fixed point or points. Car Safety Device
Traveling Cable

Elevator Rail

Bottom clearance: The distance, including buffer compression, the platforms

Counterweight
could travel below the bottom landing until the full weight of the car, when loaded,
rests on the buffer.

Compensation Ropes

Car Buffer
Top clearance:The vertical distance between the top car attachment and the
Counterweight Buffer
bottom of the diverting pulley or any steelwork supporting equipment; there must Compensation Sheave
be an adequate margin between this and the car will not contact the diverting Governor Control System
pulley or steelwork.
TYPES OF LIFTS
(On the basis of their uses)

Passenger Lift: A lift designed for the transport of passengers.

Goods Lift: A lift designed primarily for the transport of goods but which may carry a lift attendant or other person
necessary for the unloading and loading of goods.

Service Lift (Dumb Waiter): A lift with a car which moves in guides in a vertical direction; has net floor area of 1 m2, total
inside height of 1.25 m; and capacity not exceeding 250 kg; and is exclusively used for carrying materials and shall not
carry any person.

Hospital Lift: A lift normally installed in a hospital/dispensary/clinic and designed to accommodate one number
bed/stretcher along its depth, with sufficient space around to carry a minimum of three attendants in addition to the lift
operator.

Vehicle Lift: Vehicle lifts, which lift a car at its center of gravity, are used in garages and repair shops and are designed to
allow access to a car's undercarriage for repair.
PASSENGER LIFT
Passenger elevator is designed to move people between floors of a building. Their
capacity is related to available floor space. Upto 8-10 floors these operate at 1m/s
and above 10 floors the speed starts at 2.5 m/s to 10 m/s.

There are some types of passenger elevators:

Sky Lobbies: 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.

Express Elevators: an express elevator does

not serve all floors. It does not stop at every
floor, hence stops at selected floors only.
PASSENGER LIFT

According to Neufert
GOODS LIFT
A goods lift (or cargolift) is a machine to lift goods vertically in a safe way. Persons are not allowed on the lift, only for
loading and unloading. There is one exception: a goods lift with an attendant (sometimes called a goods / persons lift).
These kind of lifts require special safety measures. There are a lot of different types of goods lifts (or cargo lifts): small
goods lifts, service lifts, kitchen lifts, tyre lifts, lifts in storage spaces, heavy duty goods lifts, goods lifts with a cage, car lifts,
and many more types for any use.

● Used to transport heavy goods but depends on types of good

transported.

● Elevator speed 50-150 ft/min.

● 5000 lbs normal, load haul 20000 lbs.

● Usually used in shopping complex, airports, hotels, warehouse

GOODS LIFT

According to National Building Code

SERVICE LIFT (DUMB WAITERS)
Dumbwaiters are small freight elevators that are intended to carry food rather than passengers.

They often link kitchens with other rooms.

When installed in restaurants, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, retirement homes or in private homes, the lifts generally
terminate in a kitchen.

Avg height of the car ranges from 0.8m to 1.2m.

SERVICE LIFT (DUMB WAITERS)

According to Neufert
HOSPITAL LIFT
Hospital Elevators Are Used For Simple Transportation Of A Patient On Wheelchair To Wheeling Away A Critical Patient On
Stretcher Without Disturbing His Life Support System With Doctors And Nurses, Smoothly, Silently And Swiftly, Without
Jerks And Shocks.

Used in hospital & treatment center

Designed for transporting large carts or furniture.

Speed of elevator 100-350 ft/ min.

Two sides of front and back doors for loading and unloading facilities.

Door width between 900 - 1100mm

HOSPITAL LIFT

According to Neufert
VEHICLE LIFT
A car elevator or vehicle elevator is an elevator designed for the vertical transportation of vehicles.
Car elevators are used to vertically transport vehicles inside buildings. The objective of these lifts is to increase the number
of vehicles that can be parked in parking lots and parking garages. Where real estate is costly, these car parking systems
can reduce overall costs by using less land to park the same number of cars.
Vehicle lifts, which lift a car at its center of gravity, are used in garages and repair shops and are designed to allow access
to a car's undercarriage for repair.
VEHICLE LIFT
TYPES OF LIFTS
(On the basis of their mechanism)

Traction Elevators :Traction Elevators are lifts that are raised and lowered by ropes attached to an electric motor housed at the
top of the elevator shaft in a penthouse machine room.

Machine-Room-Less Traction Elevators : Machine room-less (MRL) elevator does not have a separate room for housing the
elevator’s motor. The specially-designed motor is installed directly in the hoistway, either at the top or bottom of the shaft.

Hydraulic Elevators: A hydraulic lift is a device for moving objects using force created by pressure on a liquid inside a cylinder that
moves a piston upward. Incompressible oil is pumped into the cylinder, which forces the piston upward. When a valve opens to release
the oil, the piston lowers by gravitational force.

Climbing Elevators: Climbing elevators have their own electric or combustion engines mounted to them. You’ll often find these
types of elevators used in construction areas and other work-zones.

Pneumatic vacuum elevator: The pneumatic vacuum elevator, or PVE, is the newest innovation in elevator design. PVE’s are
revolutionary because they do not require cables, chains, pistons, or counterweights, but instead use the hoist way itself as part
of the lifting system.
TRACTION 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 by
offsetting the weight of the car and occupants so that the motor doesn't have to move as much
weight.

HOW THEY WORK ?

Traction Lifts is essentially a box on steel ropes
that are looped around sheaves connected to an
electric motor. The sheaves have a counterweight
attached at their end to balance the load of the
elevator car. Traction on the ropes raises and
lowers the elevator.
● 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 2mps. The maximum travel distance for a geared traction elevator is around 75
m.
● Gearless Traction Elevators have the wheel attached directly to the motor. Gearless traction elevators are capable of speeds up to
20 mps and they have a maximum travel distance of around 500 m so they are the only choice for high-rise applications.

MACHINE ROOM REQUIREMENTS

● Provide a legally constructed and enclosed control room,
adequately lighted, and conditioned to maintain temperature.
● Control room must be of adequate size to provide clearances
around and between equipment
● Provide light, switch and 110 VAC GFI outlet in the control
room, with switch located adjacent to the door.
MACHINE ROOM-LESS ELEVATORS
Machine-Room-Less Elevators are traction elevators that do not have a dedicated
machine room above the elevator shaft. The machine sits in the override space and is
accessed from the top of the elevator cab when maintenance or repairs are required. The
control boxes are located in a control room that is adjacent to the elevator shaft on the
highest landing and within around 150 feet of the machine.

HOW THEY WORK ?

Machine-room-less elevators utilize a gearless
traction machine located in the hoistway. The use of
a counterweight assists the machine in turning the
elevator sheave, which moves the cab through the
hoistway. Most commonly seen in hotels,
apartments, mixed-use buildings and commercial
offices.
● Machine-room-less elevators have a maximum travel distance of up to 165 m and can travel at speeds up to 3mps. MRL
elevators are comparable to geared traction elevators in terms of initial and maintenance costs, but they have relatively low
energy consumption compared to geared elevators.

TYPES OF MRL ELEVATORS BENEFITS

As MRLs become more popular, more designs will be available to ● Saves building space.
US-based clients. These three designs are currently the most ● Saves building electricity for up to 70%.
common. ● Uses no oil
● Slightly lower cost than other types of elevators
In-Line Elevator
The in-line design is rail-supported and provides front access to
the elevator. This model comes in standard sizes and offers a
smooth, quick ride experience. With standard safety features, this
is a great choice for any elevator need.

Front and Side Elevator

Certain construction limitations require an elevator that opens at
the front and side. This is not common, but it does happen.
Our front and side design is unique and perfect for such
situations.

Front and Rear

For buildings that require access to the hoistway at both the front
and the rear, this design is an excellent choice. It also can be
used in buildings with split-level or short floors.
HYDRAULIC ELEVATORS
Hydraulic elevators are supported by a piston at the bottom of the elevator that pushes the
elevator up as an electric motor forces oil or another hydraulic fluid into the piston. The
elevator descends as a valve releases the fluid from the piston. They are used for low-rise
applications of 4 stories and travel at a maximum speed of 1 m per minute. The machine
room for hydraulic elevators is located at the lowest level adjacent to the elevator shaft.
HOW THEY WORK ?
Hydraulic lifts have been the most common type of
lifting mechanism used in buildings throughout the
second half of the 20th century. They work on the
principle of an electrically powered pump that pushes
pressurized hydraulic fluid – typically oil — to a jack
lifting system. A piston within a cylinder at the base of the
elevator pushes the car up and down.
● Conventional Hydraulic Elevators 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 15 m.
● Roped Hydraulic Elevators extends the rise of the holeless elevator to 18 meters, without the need for a belowground cylinder.
Roped hydraulic elevator systems have the piston attached to a sheave which has a rope passing through it.

Hydraulic Advantages and Disadvantages

● Hydraulic Lifts are usually cheaper to install than

the traction variety. They also occupy less space
in a building, as the lift shaft requires about 10
percent less area.

● One of the main disadvantages of a hydraulic

elevator is its slow speed. It usually cannot travel
at speeds higher than 150 feet per minute (on
larger travels). The performance of the oil as a
hydraulic fluid varies with temperature, so an
efficient machine-room control system is
necessary.
Round Trip Time (RTT)
Round Trip Time, that is, the average time required by each lift in taking one full load of passengers from ground floor,
discharging them in various upper floors and coming back to ground floor for taking fresh passengers for the next trip.

RTT is the sum of the time required in the following process:

a) Entry of the passengers on the ground floor,
b) Exit of the passengers on each floor of discharge,
c) Door closing time before each floor of discharge,
d) Door opening time on each discharging operation,
e) Acceleration periods,
f) Stopping and leveling periods,
g) Period of full rated speeds between stops going up, and
h) Period of full rated speeds between stops going down.

It is observed that the handling capacity is inversely proportional to the waiting time which in turn is proportional to RTT.
Round Trip Time (RTT)
The round trip time can be decreased not only by increasing the speed of the lift but also by improving the design of the
equipment related to opening and closing of the landing and car doors, acceleration, deceleration, levelling and passenger
movement.

a) The most important factor in shortening the time consumed between the entry and the exit of the passengers to the lift
car is the correct design of the door and the proper car width, for comfortable entry and exit for passengers, it has been
found that most suitable door width is 1000 mm and that of car width is 2000.

b) The utilization of centre opening doors also favors the door opening and closing time periods.

The most probable number of floors on which lift may have to be stopped is given by statistical formula:

Sn = n [ 1-(n-1)/n) Np]
Calculation of RTT
Q. An office block with 20 storeys above ground floor having a group of four lifts with unified starting and stopping times is to
have a floor area above the ground floor of 8000 m² and floor height of 3 m. Each car of the lifts has a capacity of 20
persons and a speed of 2.5ms-¹. The clear door width is to be 1.1 m and the doors are to open at a speed of 0.4 ms ¹.
Estimate the interval and quality of service that is to be provided.

A. 1. Peak demand for a 5-minute period:

8000 m2 x 17%
= = 60 m
2
11 m / person x 100

2. Car Travel = 20 x 3 m = 60 m
Calculation of RTT
3. Probable number of stops (S1) where,

S = maximum number of stops

(S - 1)n n = number of people of car capacity
S1 = S - S (usually approximately 80% of capacity)
(S)n

(20 - 1)16
S1 = 20 - 20 = 11
16
(20)

4. Upward journey time (Tu):

where,
L
Tu = S1 + 2v L = lift travel, 20 x 3 = 60 m
SV V = car speed, 2.5 m/s

60
Tu = 11( + (2 x 2.5)) = 79 sec
11 x 2.5
Calculation of RTT
5. Downwards journey time (Td):

L
Td = + 2v
V

60
Td = + (2 x 2.5) = 29 sec
2.5
Calculation of RTT
ESCALATORS

• An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device

for carrying people between floors of a building.
• The benefits of escalators are many. They have the capacity to
move large numbers of people.
• Escalators are used around the world to move pedestrian traffic in
places where elevators would be impractical.

Escalators are often used around the world in places where lifts
would be impractical, or they can be used in conjunction with them.
Principal areas of usage include departmental stores, shopping
malls,airports, transit system (railway/railroad stations), convention
center, Hotels, arenas, stadium and public buildings.
TYPES OF ESCALATORS
1. INCLINED ESCALATORS
•These are the most commonly used staircase, which can be seen in
malls orr commercial complex.
These are in stepped form, and are been arranged in various types.

oInclined Angle : 30-35

2. CURVED ESCALATORS
•These are used to enhance the architectural beauty and to save the space.
oInclined Angle : 30
oNumber of Persons : 6300 per hour
oRated Speed (mtrs./sec.) :25 m/ min.
oVertical Rise ( m ) : 3500 ~ 6600

3. HORIZONTAL MOVING WALK ESCALATORS

A moving walkway, also known as an autowalk, moving pavement moving

sidewalk, people-mover, travolator, or travelator, is a slow-moving
conveyor mechanism that transports people across a horizontal or
inclined plane over a short to medium distance. Moving walkways can be
used by standing or walking on them. They are often installed in pairs,
one for each direction.
COMPONENTS
• Landing platforms
• Truss
• Tracks
• Steps
• Handrail
1.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.

2. 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.
3.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).

4.STEPS • The steps are solid, one piece, die-cast aluminium

or steel. Yellow demarcation lines may be added to clearly
indicate their edges.

5.HANDRAIL • The handrail provides a convenient handhold for

passengers while they are riding the escalator.
 WORKING OF ESCALATOR
•The core of an escalator is a pair of chains, looped around
two pairs of gears & an electric motor runs it.
•The motor and chain system are housed inside the truss, a
metal structure extending between two floors.
•As the chains move, the steps always stay level.
•At the top and bottom of the escalator, the steps collapse on
each other, creating a flat platform. This makes it easier to get
on and off the escalator.
•Each step has two sets of wheels, which roll along two
separate tracks.
•The upper set (the wheels near the top of the step) are
connected to the rotating chains.
•The other set simply glides, following behind the first set.
•Each step has a series of grooves in it, so it will fit
together with the steps behind the tracks.
•The electric motor also moves the handrail, a rubber
conveyor belt, moves at exactly the same speed as the
steps, to give riders some stability.
ESCALATORS DIMENSIONS
60 cm`
A 60 cm or nearly 24-inch wide escalator is suitable for
accommodating one person. It has no room for any
extra item or person.

These are typically seen in low-traffic areas with

compact space.

80 cm
An 80 cm or nearly 32-inch wide escalator is good
enough to accommodate a single person along with a
suitcase or enough space for one person to pass by.

These are usually used in areas having low to moderate

traffic.
100 cm
A 100 cm or nearly 40-inch wide escalator ideally
accommodates two people side-by-side. It prevents any
interference in movement and has enough space for
one person to pass the other one.

Having room for movement, this width is suitable for

high-traffic areas.
● Angle of inclination: 30°-35°
● Height of handrail: 3’ or 0.91 m
● Headroom clearance: 7’6” or a minimum of 2.29 m
● Bottom landing length: 7’6” or 2.29 m
● Top landing length: 8’ or 2.44 m
● Truss or depth: 3’8” or 1.12 m
ESCALATOR CONFIGURATIONS
PARALLEL
These are mostly seen in metro stations
and multilevel theaters. They are
suitable for buildings with heavy traffic
flow in both directions.

Following are its specifications:-

● Speed: 0.5 m/s

● Inclination: 30°, 35°
● Step width: 800/1000
● Power: 50Hz
● Handrails: Rubber/stainless
steel
● Step: Stainless steel
● Landing plate: Anti-skid stainless
steel
● Operation: Emergency stop
button/key switch
● Illumination: Lighting under
upper and lower landing steps
● Indicator: Failure indicator on
control cabinet
CRISSCROSS
This stacking system going in one
direction minimizes structural space
requirements. These are mostly seen in
departmental stores and shopping centers.

Usually preferred in malls and shopping

centers, this arrangement offers a clear
view of the shopping floor to stimulate the
interest of the potential buyers in the
products on display.

Following are its specifications:-

● Step width: 600/800/1000

● Power: 50Hz/300 V
● Handrails: Rubber/stainless steel
● Step: Stainless steel
● Landing plate: Anti-skid stainless
steel
● Operation: Emergency stop
button/key switch
● Illumination: Lighting under upper
and lower landing steps
● Indicator: Failure indicator on control
cabinet
MULTIPLE PARALLEL
Two or more escalators are arranged
together to move in the same or opposite
directions. These are used in high-traffic
areas.

Following are its specifications:-

● Speed: 0.5 m/s

● Inclination: 30°, 35°
● Step width: 800/1000
● Power: 50 Hz
● Handrails: Rubber/stainless steel
● Step: Stainless steel
● Landing plate: Anti-skid stainless
steel
● Operation: Emergency stop
button/key switch/inspection
operations
● Illumination: Lighting under upper
and lower landing steps
● Indicator: Failure indicator on control
cabinet
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFTS AND ESCALATORS
 ESCALATORS - HORIZONTAL &
LIFTS - VERTICAL
INCLINED MOVEMENT
MOVEMENT
THANK YOU