BUILDING SERVICES

LIFTS AND ESCALATORS

LIFTS AND ESCALATOS
LIFTS/ELEVATORS

An Elevator/Lift is a type of vertical transport equipment that moves people or

goods between floors of a building or other structure.

Elevators are generally powered by electric motors that either drive traction
cables or counterweight systems like a hoist or hydraulic jack.

There are three types of convoying methods in buildings, Elevators, Escalators

& Ramps, and they have different dimensions and uses according to building
type & number of users in it.
HISTORY
• Ancient and medieval elevators used drive systems based on hoists or
winders.
• The first screw drive elevator was built by Ivan Kulibin and installed in
Winter Palace in 1793.
• In 1823 in London, an "ascending room" was built and operated by two
architects, Burton and Hormer. It was designed as a tourist attraction
to elevate paying customers to a panoramic view of the city. Elevator design by
German engineer
• The "Teagle" - a belt-driven elevator with a counterweight was
Konrad Kyeser (1405)
developed in 1835 by Frost and Stutt in England.
• The hydraulic crane was invented by Sir William Armstrong in 1846 for
use primarily at the docks of London for loading cargo.
• Henry Waterman of New York is credited with inventing the "standing
rope control" for an elevator in 1850.
• In 1852, Elisha Otis introduced the safety elevator, which prevented
the fall of the cab if the cable broke. The design of the Otis safety
elevator is somewhat similar to one type still used today.
• On March 23, 1857 the first Otis passenger elevator was installed at 488 Broadway
in New York City.
• The Equitable Life Building completed in 1870 in New York City was the first office
building to have passenger elevators.
• The first electric elevator was built by Werner von Siemens in 1880 in Germany.
• The safety and speed of electric elevators were significantly enhanced by Frank
Sprague who added floor control, automatic elevators, acceleration control of cars,
and safeties.
• The development of elevators was led by the need for movement of raw materials
including coal and lumber from hillsides.
• In 1874, J.W. Meaker patented a method which permitted elevator doors to open
and close safely.
• In 1887, American Inventor Alexander Miles of Duluth, Minnesota patented an
elevator with automatic doors that would close off the elevator shaft.
• In 2000 a vacuum elevator was offered commercially in Argentina.
LIFT COMPONENTS

Elevator Car: Elevator Car is the vehicle that travels between the different elevator
stops carrying passengers and/or goods, it is usually A heavy steel frame surrounding a
cage of metal and wood panels.
To prevent overloading of the car by persons, the available area of the car shall be
limited and related to the nominal/rated load of the elevator.
Classified into 1. Normal Cabin 2. Open Through Cabin 3. Diagonal Cabin
Car Width (CW): The horizontal dimensions Elevator Car Components:
between the inner surfaces of the car walls
measured parallel to the front entrance and at Elevator Car is composed of the
1m above the car floor. following components:
1. Car Sling, a metal framework
Car Height (CH): The inside vertical distance connected to the means of
between the entrance threshold and the suspension.
constructional roof of the car. Light fittings and 2. The elevator cabin
false ceilings are accommodated within this 3. Mechanical accessories which
dimension. are:
• Car door and door operator.
Car Depth (CD): The horizontal dimensions • Guide shoes.
between the inner surfaces of the car walls • Door Protective Device.
measured at right angles to the car width and
at 1m above the car floor.
1. CAR SLING: Car Sling is load carrier element in
the elevator car as well as its function of
isolating vibrations due to running.
2. ELEVATOR CABINET: Elevator cabinets shall be
completely enclosed by walls, floors and ceiling,
the only permissible opening being are the car
door, emergency trap door and ventilation
apertures.
3. MECHANICAL ACCESSORIES:
i. Doors ii. Guide Shoes
a. Door, Centre Opening Sliding Guide shoes are Devices used mainly to guide
b. Door, Mid bar Collapsable the car and counterweight along the path of
c. Door, Multipanel the guide rails. They also assure that the lateral
d. Door, Single Slide motion of the car and counterweight is kept at
e. Door, Two Speed Sliding a minimum as they travel along the guide rails.
f. Door, Vertical Lifting There are two types of guiding shoes as
g. Door Swing follows: a. Roller guides b. Sliding guides
h. Door Closer
i. Door Operator

iii. Door Protective Device

A safe edge, a safety astragal, a photoelectric device (safe ray), and electrostatic field
device are examples of door protective devices.
HOISTWAY
Hoistway is the space enclosed by fireproof walls
and elevator doors for the travel of one or more
elevators, dumbwaiters or material lifts. It includes
the pit and terminates at the underside of the
overhead machinery space floor or grating or at the
underside of the roof where the hoistway does not
penetrate the roof.
A simple definition for the hoistway is the shaft
that encompasses the elevator car.

1. Guide rails for both the car and counterweight.

2. Counterweight.
3. Suspension (Hoisting) Ropes (Cables).
4. Landing (Hoistway) doors.
5. Buffers in the pit.
COUNTER WEIGHT

Counterweight is A tracked weight that is

suspended from cables and moves within its own
set of guide rails along the hoistway walls.
Counterweight is used for the following:

• Balancing the mass of the complete car and a

portion of rated load, and it will be equal to the
dead weight of the car plus about 40% of the
rated load.

• Reducing the necessary consumed power for

moving the elevator.
SUSPENSION (HOISTING) ROPES (CABLES)

Suspension Ropes are Suspension means for car

and counterweight, which are represented by
steel wire ropes.
They are Used on traction type elevators, usually
attached to the crosshead and extending up into
the machine room looping over the sheave on
the motor and then down to the counter
weights.
Hoisting cable are generally 3 to 6 in number.
These ropes are usually 1/2”or 5/8” in diameter. • Single wrap: rope passes over sheave once and
connected to counterweight.
• Double wrap: rope wound over sheave twice in high
The term Roping system can be defined as the speed elevators for additional traction.
arrangement of cables supporting the elevator • 1:1 roping: when rope connected to counterweight
where cable travels as far as car in opposite direction.
and which has many types or arrangements as • 2:1 roping: rope wraps sheave on counterweight and
follows: connects to top of the shaft, rope moves twice as far as
cab.
BUFFERS IN PIT
A Buffer is a device designed to stop a descending car or counterweight beyond its normal limit and
to soften the force with which the elevator runs into the pit during an emergency. They may be of
polyurethane or oil type in respect of the rated speed.
• A Spring Buffer is one type of buffer most commonly found on hydraulic elevators or used for
elevators with speeds less than 200 feet per minute. These devices are used to cushion the
elevator and are most always located in the elevator pit.
• An Oil Buffer is another type of buffer more commonly found on traction elevators with speeds
higher than 200 feet per minute. This type of buffer uses a combination of oil and springs to
cushion a descending car or counterweight and are most commonly located in the elevator pit,
because of their location in the pit buffers have a tendency to be exposed to water and flooding.
They require routine cleaning and painting to assure they maintain their proper performance
specifications. Oil buffers also need there oil checked and changed if exposed to flooding.
LIFT PITS
• A lift pit shall be provided at the bottom of every lift.
• Pits shall be of sound construction and maintained in a dry and clean condition.
• Where the pit depth exceeds 1.5 m, suitable descending arrangement shall be provided to
reach the lift pit i.e., fixed ladder or other descending facility in the form of permanent
brackets grouted in the wall extending to a height of 0.75 m above the lowest floor level
shall be provided.
• A light point with a switch shall also be provided

MACHINE ROOMS / OVERHEAD STRUCTURES

• The lift machine, controller and all other apparatus and equipment of a lift installation,
excepting such apparatus and equipment as function in the lift well or other positions, shall
be placed in the machine room which shall be adequately lighted and rendered fire-proof
and weather-proof.
• The machine room shall have sufficient floor area as well as permit free access to all parts
of the machines and equipment located therein for purposes of inspection, maintenance or
repair.
• The room shall be kept closed, except to those who are concerned with the operation and
maintenance of the equipment.
• When the electrical voltage exceeds 220/230 V, a danger notice plate shall be displayed
permanently on the outside of the door and on or near the machinery.
• Where standby generator is provided, it is necessary to connect fireman lift to the stand by
generator.
• Machine room floor shall be provided with a trap door, if necessary.
• The height of the machine room shall be sufficient to allow any portion of equipment to be
accessible and removable for repair and replacement and shall be not less than 2 m clear from
the floor or the platform of machine whichever is higher.
• It is desirable that emergency exit may be provided in case of large machine rooms having four
or more lifts.
• The ambient temperature of machine room shall be maintained between + 5°C and + 40”C.
• Access between a secondary floor and a machine room may be by ladder. Where the machine
room entrance is 1.5 m or more above or below the adjacent floor or roof surface, access shall
be provided by means of stairs
• The angle of inclination of the stair shall not exceed 50°
• The tread shall have a non-slip surface which shall be not less than 150 mm wide for open stair
construction and not less than 200mm wide for closed stair construction.
• The rise of the stair shall not exceed 250 mm.
QUALITY OF SERVICE
The quality of service on the other hand is generally measured by the passenger waiting time at the
various floors. The following shall be the guiding factor for
determining this aspect.
Quality of Service or Acceptable Interval
• 20 to 25 seconds Excellent
• 30 to 35 seconds Good
• 34 to 40 seconds Fair
• 45 seconds Poor
• Over 45 seconds Unsatisfactory
NOTE— For residential buildings longer intervals should be permissible.

SPEED is dependent upon the quantity of service required and the quality of service desired.
Therefore, no set formulae for indicating the speed can be given. However, the following general
recommendations are made:
No. of Floors Speed
• 4 to 5 0.5 to 0.75 m/s
• 6 to 12 0.75 to 1.5 m/s
• 3 to 20 1.5 to 2.5 m/s
• Above 20 2.5 m/s and above
QUANTITY OF SERVICE
• The quantity of service is a measure of the passenger handling capacity of a vertical
transportation system.
• It is measured in terms of the total number of passengers handled during each five-
minute peak period of the day.
• A five-minute base period is used as this is the most practical time over which the traffic
can be averaged.
• The recommended passenger handling capacity for various buildings is as follows:

Type of Building Handling Capacity

Office — Diversified tenants 10 to 15 percent
Office — Single tenant 15 to 25 percent
Residential 7.5 percent

Capacity: The minimum size of car recommended for a single purpose buildings is one
suitable for a duty load of 884 kg. Generally, for large office buildings cars with capacities
up to 2040 kg are recommended according to the requirements.
Determination of Transportation or Handling Capacity
The handling capacity is calculated by the following formula:

where
H = Handling capacity as the percentage of the peak population handled during 5 min
period,
Q = Average number of passengers carried in a car,
T = Waiting interval in seconds, and
P = Total population to be handled
The value of Q depends on the dimensions of the car. It maybe noted that the car is not
loaded always to its maximum capacity during each trip and, therefore, for calculating H
the value of Q is taken as 80 percent of the maximum carrying capacity of the car.
The waiting interval is calculated by the following
where
T = Waiting interval in seconds,
N = Number of lifts, and
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:
• Entry of the passengers on the ground floor,
• Exit of the passengers on each floor of discharge,
• Door closing time before each starting operation,
• Door opening time on each discharging operation,
• Acceleration periods,
• Stopping and levelling periods,
• Periods of full rated speeds between stops going up, and
• Periods of full rated speeds between stops going down.
RUNNING AND MAINTAINANCE
• The lift installation should receive regular cleaning, lubrication, adjustment and adequate
servicing by authorized competent persons at such intervals as the type of equipment and
frequency of service demand.
• In order that the lift installation is maintained at all times in a safe condition, a proper
maintenance schedule shall be drawn up in consultation with the lift manufacturer and rigidly
followed.
• The provision of a log book to record all items relating to general servicing and inspection is
recommended for all lifts.
• It is essential that the electrical circuit diagram of the lift with the sequence of operation of
different components and parts should be kept readily available for the persons responsible for
the maintenance and replacement where necessary.
• Particular attention may be directed for thorough periodical examination of wire ropes when in
service.
• Attention should also be directed to the thorough examination of the groove of drums, sheaves
and pulleys when installing a new rope.
• A groove deepened by rope wear is liable to lead to early failure of a new rope unless the groove
is returned.
• Any accident arising out of operation of maintenance of the lifts should be duly reported to the
Authority. A notice maybe put in the machine room to this effect.
‘High-Rise Building’ means a building with 18m or more in height.
However, chimneys, cooling towers, boiler rooms, lift machine rooms, cold storage and other non-working
areas in case of industrial buildings and water tanks and architectural features in respect of other buildings
are excluded.
REQUIREMENTS
High Rise Buildings / Complexes shall be permissible only in areas
• The minimum size of plot for High Rise building shall be 2000sq.m.
• Prior Clearance from Airport Authority: For any High Rise Building located in the vicinity of airports as
given in the National Building Code, the maximum height of such building shall be decided in consultation
with the Airport Authority and shall be regulated by their rules / requirements.
• Prior No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the State Disasters Response & Fire Services Department: For all
High Rise Buildings prior No objection Certificate (NOC) from the Andhra Pradesh State Disasters Response
& Fire Services Department shall be obtained and copy of the approved plan and No Objection Certificate
(NOC) issued by the said department shall been closed along with the building application.
• In every high rise building site, an organized open space shall be utilized as greenery, tot lot or soft
landscaping, etc. shall be provided over and above the mandatory setbacks to be left in and around the
building. This space shall be at least 10% of total site area at ground level open to sky and shall be a
minimum width of 3m. This may be in one or more pockets with minimum area of 50sq.m at each
location.
• In addition to the above, a minimum of 2m
wide green planting strip in the periphery on
all sides within the setbacks are required to be
developed and maintained.
• Buildings abutting major road of 30m and
above width shall be permitted only after
providing black-topped service roads of
minimum 7m width with minimum 2 Lane
carriageway with in the defined right of way. It
will be the responsibility of the developer
/builder / owner to provide the above service
road of the standards fixed by the Sanctioning
Authority at his own cost. The Sanctioning
Authority may consider sanctioning building
permission if the developer / builder / owner
deposits the full cost for laying such service
road to the Sanctioning Authority. The amount
so levied and collected shall be maintained in
a separate exclusive account
Fire Protection
Requirements for Fireman’s Lift
• For buildings having height of 15 m or more at least one lift shall meet the requirements of
fireman’s lift to be given.
• The fireman’s lift shall have the following minimum requirements:
a. Lift car shall have floor area of not less than 1.44 square meters. It shall also have a loading
capacity of not less than 544 kg (8 persons).
b. Lift landing doors shall have a minimum of fire resistance of one hour.
c. Doors shall be of automatic operation for car and landing.

Fireman’s lifts in a building having more than 15 m or more height, shall work at or above the
speed
of 1.0 m/s so as to reach the top floor from ground level within one minute.

Operation Requirements of Fireman’s Lift

The lift shall be provided with the following as a
minimum:
• A two position switch at evacuation floor (normally main entrance floor) (ON/OFF), and
• Buzzer and ‘Fireman’s lift’ — light in car
i. RETURN TO EVACUATION FLOOR (Phase-I):
• Shall start when the switch at the evacuation floor is turned to the “ON’’ position or
the signal from smoke detector (if provided by the Building Management System) is
on.
• All lift(s) controlled by this switch shall cancel all existing car calls and separate from
landing calls and no landing or car calls shall be registered.
• The buzzer and “fireman’s lift” light shall be turned on.
• All heat and smoke sensitive door reopening devices shall be rendered inoperative.
• If the lift is traveling towards the evacuation floor, it shall continue driving to that
floor.
• If the lift is traveling away from the evacuation floor, it shall reverse its direction at
the nearest possible floor without opening its doors and return nonstop to the
evacuation floor.
• If the lift is standing at a floor other than the evacuation floor, it shall close the doors
and start traveling non-stop to the evacuation floor.
• When at the evacuation floor the lift shall park with doors open. The buzzer is turned
off after this return drive.
ii. FIRE MANS SERVICE (Phase - II):
The phase 2 operation of the lift shall be as defined below.
• The phase 2 is started after phase 1, if the switch is “ON.
• The lift does not respond to landing calls but registers car calls.
• AIl heat and smoke sensitive door reopening devices are rendered inoperative.
• When the car call button is pressed the doors start closing. If the button is released
before the doors are fully closed, they re-open. The car call is registered only when
the doors are fully closed.
• After registering a car call the lift starts driving to the call. If more than one car call is
registered, only the nearest call is answered and the remaining calls will be cancelled
at the first stop.
• At the floor the doors are opened by pushing the door open button. If the button is
released before the doors are fully open, they re-close. The lift returns to normal
service when it stands at the evacuation floor with doors open and the switch is
“OFF”.