NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Elevator

An elevator or lift is a transport device used to move goods or people vertically. Languages other than English may have loanwords based on either elevator (e.g. Japanese) or lift (e.g. most European languages^[clarify], Cantonese). Because of wheelchair access laws, elevators are often a legal requirement in new buildings with multiple floors. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Elevator has multiple meanings, including: A transportation device, also called a lift, for the vertical movement of goods or people, typically within a building. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 844 KB) The lifts from platform level to street level at Borough station on London Undergrounds Northern Line. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 844 KB) The lifts from platform level to street level at Borough station on London Undergrounds Northern Line. ... The London Underground is a rapid transit system that serves a large part of Greater London and some neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. ... A loanword (or loan word) is a word directly taken into one language from another with little or no translation. ... Standard Cantonese is a variant, and is generally considered the prestige dialect of Cantonese Chinese. ...

Design

Elevators begin as simple rope or chain hoists. An elevator is essentially a platform that is either pulled or pushed up by a mechanical means. A modern day elevator consists of a cab (also called a "cage" or "car") mounted on a platform within an enclosed space called a shaft, or in Commonwealth countries called a "hoistway". In the past, elevator drive mechanisms were powered by steam and water hydraulic pistons. In a "traction" elevator, cars are pulled up by means of rolling steel ropes over a deeply grooved pulley, commonly called a sheave in the industry. The weight of the car is balanced with a counterweight. Sometimes two elevators always move synchronously in opposite directions, and they are each other's counterweight. Look up chain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Builders hoist, with small petrol engine A hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of a drum or lift-wheel around which rope or chain wraps. ... For the band, see Pulley (band). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The friction between the ropes and the pulley furnishes the traction which gives this type of elevator its name.

Hydraulic elevators use the principles of hydraulics to pressurize an above ground or in-ground piston to raise and lower the car. Roped Hydraulics use a combination of both ropes and hydraulic power to raise and lower cars. Recent innovations include permanent earth magnet motors, machine room-less rail mounted gearless machines, and microprocessor controls. Table of Hydraulics and Hydrostatics, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ...

Which technology is used in new installations depends on a variety of factors. Hydraulic elevators are cheaper, but installing cylinders greater than a certain length becomes impractical for very high lift hoistways. For buildings of much over seven stories, traction elevators must be employed instead. Hydraulic elevators are usually slower than traction elevators.

Elevators are a candidate for mass customization. There are economies to be made from mass production of the components, but each building comes with its own requirements like different number of floors, dimensions of the well and usage patterns. LOLZ Mass customization is a business technique which allows any customer to buy a product or service that has been pre-designed(customized) to fit a customers exact needs. ... Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardised products on production lines. ...

History

The first reference to an elevator is in the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius, who reported that Archimedes built his first elevator, probably, in 236 B.C. In some literary sources of later historical periods, elevators were mentioned as cabs on a hemp rope and powered by hand or by animals. It is supposed that elevators of this type were installed in the Sinai monastery of Egypt. In the 17th century the prototypes of elevators were located in the palace buildings of England and France. Download high resolution version (1200x811, 183 KB)Elisha Otiss Elevator Patent Drawing, 01/15/1861. ... Download high resolution version (1200x811, 183 KB)Elisha Otiss Elevator Patent Drawing, 01/15/1861. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (born c. ... For other uses, see Archimedes (disambiguation). ... This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. ...

In 1793 Ivan Kulibin created an elevator with the screw lifting mechanism for the Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg. In 1816 an elevator was established in the main building of sub Moscow village called Arkhangelskoye. In 1823, an "ascending room" made its debut in London. [3] Ivan Petrovich Kulibin (April 21, 1735 - August 11, 1818) was a Russian mechanic and inventor. ... Located between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, the Winter Palace (Russian: Ð—Ð¸Ð¼Ð½Ð¸Ð¹ Ð”Ð²Ð¾Ñ€ÐµÑ†) in Saint Petersburg, Russia was built between 1754 and 1762 as the winter residence of the Russian tsars. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland...

Henry Waterman of New York is credited with inventing the "standing rope control" for an elevator in 1850.^[1]

In 1853, 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. A governor device engages knurled roller(s), locking the elevator to its guides should the elevator descend at excessive speed. He demonstrated it at the New York exposition in the Crystal Palace in 1854.^[1] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... New York Crystal Palace was an exhibition building constructed for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City in 1853. ...

On March 23, 1857 the first Otis passenger elevator was installed at 488 Broadway in New York City. The first elevator shaft preceded the first elevator by four years. Construction for Peter Cooper's Cooper Union building in New York began in 1853. An elevator shaft was included in the design for Cooper Union, because Cooper was confident that a safe passenger elevator would soon be invented.[4] The shaft was cylindrical because Cooper felt it was the most efficient design.[5] Later Otis designed a special elevator for the school. Today the Otis Elevator Company, now a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, is the world's largest manufacturer of vertical transport systems. is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The E.V. Haughwout Building is a 5-story commercial loft building in the SoHo section of New York City, at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791 â€“ April 4, 1883) was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and candidate for President of the United States. ... The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a privately funded college in Lower Manhattan of New York City. ... This article traces the history of New York City, New York. ... A right circular cylinder An elliptic cylinder In mathematics, a cylinder is a quadric surface, with the following equation in Cartesian coordinates: This equation is for an elliptic cylinder, a generalization of the ordinary, circular cylinder (a = b). ... The Otis Elevator Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems, principally elevators and escalators. ... United Technologies Corporation (UTC) (NYSE: UTX) is a multinational corporation based in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, and is the 20th largest U.S. manufacturer. ...

The first electric elevator was built by Werner von Siemens in 1880. The safety and speed of electric elevators were significantly enhanced by Frank Sprague.^{[citation needed]} Werner von Siemens Ernst Werner von Siemens (known as Werner von Siemens) (December 13, 1816 â€“ December 6, 1892) was a German inventor and industrialist. ... Frank Julian Sprague (1857-1934) American inventor, Father of Electric Traction Frank Julian Sprague (1857–1934) was an American naval officer and inventor who contributed to the development of the electric motor, electric railways, and electric elevators. ...

The development of elevators was led by the need for movement of raw materials including coal and lumber from hillsides. The technology developed by these industries and the introduction of steel beam construction worked together to provide the passenger and freight elevators in use today. Coal Example chemical structure of coal Coal is a fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... Timber in storage for later processing at a sawmill roni Lumber or timber is a term used to describe wood, either standing or that has been processed for use â€” from the time trees are felled, to its end product as a material suitable for industrial use â€” as structural material for...

In 1874, J.W. Meaker patented a method which permitted elevator doors to open and close safely. U.S. Patent 147,853

In 1929, Clarence Conrad Crispen, with Inclinator Company of America, created the first residential elevator. Crispen also invented the first inclined stairlift.^{[citation needed]} A stairlift is a mechanical device for lifting people and wheelchairs up and down stairs. ...

Elevator Safety

Elevators are characterized as being extremely safe. Their safety record of moving millions of passengers every day, with extremely low rate of incident, is unsurpassed by any other vehicle system. Even so, fatalities due to malfunction^[2] have been known to occur on occasion.^[3] A certain number of passengers do die every year in elevator-related incidents.^[4] In 1998, in the United States, it was reported that of the estimated 120 billion rides per year in the approximately 600,000 elevators in the U.S., 10,000 people wound up in the emergency room^[5] because of elevator-related accidents.

Past problems with hydraulic elevators meant those built prior to a code change in 1972 were subject to possible catastrophic failure. The code had previously required only single-bottom hydraulic cylinders. In the event of a cylinder breach, an uncontrolled fall of the elevator might result. Because it is impossible to verify the system completely without a pressurized casing (as described below), it is necessary to remove the piston to inspect it. The cost of removing the piston is such that it makes no economic sense to re-install the old cylinder; therefore it is necessary to replace the cylinder and install a new piston.^{[citation needed]} Another solution to protect against a cylinder blowout is to install a "life jacket." This is a device which, in the event of an excessive downward speed, clamps onto the cylinder and stops the car. This device is also known as a Rupture Valve in some parts of the world. Catastrophic failure is a sudden and total failure of some system from which recovery is impossible. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

In addition to the safety concerns for older hydraulic elevators, there is risk of leaking hydraulic oil into the aquifer and causing potential environmental contamination. This has led to the introduction of PVC liners (casings) around hydraulic cylinders which can be monitored for integrity. Hydraulic fluids are a large group of liquids made of many kinds of chemicals. ... Polyvinyl chloride Polyvinyl chloride, (IUPAC Polychloroethene) commonly abbreviated PVC, is a widely used thermoplastic polymer. ...

In the past decade, recent innovations in inverted hydraulic jacks have eliminated the costly process of drilling the ground to install a borehole jack. This also eliminates the threat of corrosion to the system and increases safety.

On traction lifts there is a device called a "Safety Gear" that is fitted to the bottom of the lift car frame. This device connects to another device commonly known as a "Overspeed Governor." There is a separate rope from the main lifting ropes that connects the safety gear to the overspeed governor. The Overspeed Governor usually has a pulley which the safety rope runs on. The overspeed governor usually has an arm type latch. If the device spins too quickly, the arm is forced out from the middle of the unit by centrifugal force. This locks the pulley, which stops the rope. Once the rope stops and the car is still moving down, the rope pulls up on the safety gear causing a wedge type friction roller or a solid plate to clamp very tightly on the lift running guides. This causes the lift to stop suddenly ("instantaneous" safety gear) or in a progressive slowing motion ("progressive" safety gear). There are many different versions of these but they all work in the same way.

Uses of elevators

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1897 KB) Interior of a newly upgraded elevator under LUP in Bishan, Singapore. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 1897 KB) Interior of a newly upgraded elevator under LUP in Bishan, Singapore. ...

Passenger service

Passenger elevators capacity is related to the available floor space. Generally passenger elevators are available in capacities from 1,000 to 6,000 lb (455 to 2,727 kg) in 500 lb (230 kg) increments. Generally passenger elevators in buildings eight floors or less are hydraulic or electric, which can reach speeds up to 200 ft/min (1.0 m/s) hydraulic and up to 500 ft/min electric. In buildings up to ten floors, electric & gearless elevators are likely to have speeds up to 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s), and above ten floors speeds begin at 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s) up to 2000ft/min (10 m/s).

Sometimes passenger elevators are used as a city transport along with funiculars. For example, there is a 3-station underground public elevator in Yalta, Ukraine, which takes passengers from the top of a hill above the Black Sea on which hotels are perched, to a tunnel located on the beach below. Angels Flight, Los Angeles, California with gantlet track configuration Duquesne Incline, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with full length parallel tracks The GÃ¼tschbahn in Lucerne, Switzerland â€“ from an 1893 guidebook A funicular, also called funicular railway, inclined railway, inclined plane, or, in the United Kingdom, a cliff railway, is a system of... Yalta (Ukrainian: , Russian: , Crimean Tatar: ) is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea. ...

Types of passenger elevators

Passenger elevators may be specialized for the service they perform, including: Hospital emergency (Code blue), front and rear entrances, double decker, and other uses. Cars may be ornate in their interior appearance, may have audio visual advertising, and may be provided with specialized recorded voice instructions. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see World Trade Center (disambiguation). ... The former World Trade Centers twin towers were the first supertall buildings to use sky lobbies, located on the 44th and 78th floors of each tower. ... Code Blue is a technical, jargon term for medical emergencies in the United States. ... Double-deck elevators at Midland Square, Nagoya, Japan Double-deck elevators are elevators designed such that two elevator cars are attached one on top of the other. ...

An express elevator does not serve all floors. For example, it moves between the ground floor and a skylobby, or it moves from the ground floor or a skylobby to a range of floors, skipping floors in between. The former World Trade Centers twin towers were the first supertall buildings to use sky lobbies, located on the 44th and 78th floors of each tower. ...

Entrapment

All elevators are required to have communication connection to an outside 24 hour emergency service, automatic recall capability in a fire emergency, and special access for fire fighters' use in a fire. Elevators should not be used by the public if there is a fire in or around the building, and as such numerous building codes require signs near the elevator to state as much. However, emergency evacuations in some countries do allow the use of special 'fire elevators'. Firefighter with an axe A firefighter, sometimes still called a fireman though women have increasingly joined firefighting units, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people and in some areas provide emergency medical services. ... A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. ...

Capacity

Residential elevators may be small enough to only accommodate one person while some are large enough for more than a dozen. Wheelchair, or platform lifts, a specialized type of elevator designed to move a wheelchair 6 ft (1.8 m) or less, often can accommodate just one person in a wheelchair at a time with a maximum load of 1000 lb (455 kg). Wheelchair seating in a theater. ...

Freight elevators

A freight elevator (or goods lift) is an elevator designed to carry goods, rather than passengers. Freight elevators are often exempt from some code requirements^{[citation needed]} and from some of the requirements for fire service^{[citation needed]}. However, new installations would likely be required to comply with these requirements^{[citation needed]}. Freight elevators are generally required to display a written notice in the car that the use by passengers is prohibited, though certain freight elevators allow dual use through the use of an inconspicuous riser. Freight elevators are typically larger and capable of carrying heavier loads than a passenger elevator, generally from 2,300 to 4,500 kg. Freight elevators may have manually operated doors, and often have rugged interior finishes to prevent damage while loading and unloading. Although hydraulic freight elevators exist, electric elevators are more energy efficient for the work of freight lifting^{[citation needed]}.

Stage and Orchestra lifts are specialized lifts for use in the performing arts, and are often exempt from some requirements^{[citation needed]}. Local jurisdictions may govern their use, installation and testing, however they are often left out of local code enforcement provisions due to their infrequent installation.

Vehicle elevators

A car lift is installed where ramps are considered space-inconservative for smaller buildings (usually in apartment buildings where frequent access is not an issue). The car platforms are raised and lowered by chained steel gears (resembling bicycle chains in appearance). In addition to the vertical motion, the platforms can rotate about its vertical axis (up to 180 degrees) to ease driver access and/or accommodate building plans. Most parking lots of this type are however unable to accommodate taller vehicles.

In spite of the sheer size of the car platform and its perceived "passenger capacity", there are huge passenger and freight lifts that can accommodate more than the rated capacity of the car lift.

Boat elevators

In some smaller canals, boats and small ships can pass between different levels of a canal with a boat lift rather than through a canal lock. StrÃ©py-Thieu boat lift (Belgium). ... Canal locks in England. ...

Aircraft elevators

On aircraft carriers, elevators carry aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar deck for operations or repairs. These elevators are designed for much greater capacity than any other elevator ever built, up to 200,000 pounds of aircraft and equipment. Smaller elevators lift munitions to the flight deck from magazines deep inside the ship. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1960x3008, 1173 KB) The Arabian Gulf (Mar. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1960x3008, 1173 KB) The Arabian Gulf (Mar. ... The F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather fighter and attack aircraft. ... The supercarrier, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), formerly CVA-63, is the second naval ship named after Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the site of the Wright brothers first flight. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft, acting as a sea-going airbase. ...

Dumbwaiter

A small freight elevator is often called a dumbwaiter, often used for the moving of small items such as dishes in a 2-story kitchen or books in a multi-story rack assembly. Passengers are never permitted on dumbwaiters. Dumbwaiters are required to comply with ASME A17.1 in most US and Canadian Jurisdictions. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 1306 KB) A dumb waiter (Speiseaufzug) in the oldest restaurant in Munich, the Hundskugel. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 1306 KB) A dumb waiter (Speiseaufzug) in the oldest restaurant in Munich, the Hundskugel. ... For other uses, see Munich (disambiguation). ...

Modern dumbwaiters are generally driven by a small electric motor with a counterweight and their capacity is limited to about 750 lb (340 kg). Dumbwaiters are used extensively in the restaurant business (hence the name) and may also be used as book lifts in libraries, or to transport mail or similar items in an office tower. These dumbwaiters can withstand heavy loads of up to 1000 lb, that comply with the ASME A17.2.

Dumbwaiters, especially older ones, may also be hand operated using a roped pulley, and they are often found in Victorian-era houses, offices and other establishments constructed when such devices were at their peak.

Rope pulley dumbwaiters frequently appear in fiction with a period setting, especially fiction set in aristocratic country houses. The dumbwaiters often act as a physical and metaphorical link between the servants toiling in the kitchens below and the masters and mistresses dining in the room above, who never see the person that prepared their meal. In action-based period stories they serve the same dramatic purpose that ventilation shafts do in more modern settings by allowing characters to move through a building unnoticed, even if such movement would be difficult or impossible with a real life dumbwaiter. For example the Doctor Who story The Talons Of Weng-Chiang sees two of its heroes escape by hauling themselves up in a dumbwaiter in a Victorian-era laundry, and the first Tomb Raider film depicts Lara Croft escaping her pursuers through the dumbwaiter shaft of her ancient family home. This article is about the television series. ... The Talons of Weng-Chiang is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from February 26 to April 2, 1977. ... Categories: Movie stubs | Action films | Adventure films | 2001 films | Films based on video games ...

Paternoster

A special type of elevator is the paternoster, a constantly moving chain of boxes. A similar concept moves only a small platform, which the rider mounts while using a handhold and was once seen in multi-story industrial plants. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1232x1632, 822 KB) Summary Paternoster elevator at a building belonging to the NormanenstraÃŸe campus of the East German Stasi, later used by the Arbeitsamt and in use until 2004. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1232x1632, 822 KB) Summary Paternoster elevator at a building belonging to the NormanenstraÃŸe campus of the East German Stasi, later used by the Arbeitsamt and in use until 2004. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... A paternoster at the University of Vienna, NIG (Neues InstitutsgebÃ¤ude), late 1950s, still in operation A paternoster or paternoster lift is an elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments (each usually designed for two persons) that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building...

Material handling belts and belt elevators

A different kind of elevator is used to transport material. It generally consists of an inclined plane on which a conveyor belt runs. The conveyor often includes partitions to prevent the material from sliding backwards. These elevators are often used in industrial and agricultural applications. When such mechanisms (or spiral screws or pneumatic transport) are used to elevate grain for storage in large vertical silos, the entire structure is called a grain elevator. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

There have occasionally been lift belts for humans; these typically have steps about every seven feet along the length of the belt, which moves vertically, so that the passenger can stand on one step and hold on to the one above. These belts are sometimes used, for example, to carry the employees of parking garages, but are considered too dangerous for public use.

Types of elevator hoist mechanisms

Traction elevators

Geared Traction machines are driven by AC or DC electric motors. Geared machines use worm gears to control mechanical movement of elevator cars by "rolling" steel hoist ropes over a drive sheave which is attached to a gearbox driven by a high speed motor. These machines are generally the best option for basement or overhead traction use for speeds up to 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s). City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. ... Direct current (DC or continuous current) is the continuous flow of electricity through a conductor such as a wire from high to low potential. ... Worm and worm gear A worm gear, or worm wheel, is a type of gear that engages with a worm to greatly reduce rotational speed, or to allow higher torque to be transmitted. ... A gearbox is an assembly of gears allowing the rotational speed of an input shaft to be changed to a different speed. ...

Gearless Traction machines are low speed (low RPM), high torque electric motors powered mainly by AC or DC. In this case, the drive sheave is directly attached to the end of the motor. Gearless traction elevators can reach speeds of up to 2,000 ft/min, or even higher. For other senses of this word, see torque (disambiguation). ...

A brake is mounted between the motor and drive sheave (or gearbox) to hold the elevator stationary at a floor. This brake is usually an external drum type and is actuated by spring force and held open electrically; a power failure will cause the brake to engage and prevent the elevator from falling (see inherent safety and safety engineering). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Vehicle brake. ... An inherently safe system is a variety of a certain system that cannot be made to cause harm â€“ obviously the best arrangement safety-wise, but not always possible. ... Safety engineering is an applied science strongly related to systems engineering and the subset System Safety Engineering. ...

In each case, cables are attached to a hitch plate on top of the cab or may be "underslung" below a cab, and then looped over the drive sheave to a counterweight attached to the opposite end of the cables which reduces the amount of power needed to move the cab. The counterweight is located in the hoist-way and rides a separate rail system; as the car goes up, the counterweight goes down, and vice versa. This action is powered by the traction machine which is directed by the controller, typically a relay logic or computerized device that directs starting, acceleration, deceleration and stopping of the elevator cab. The weight of the counterweight is typically equal to the weight of the elevator cab plus 40-50% of the capacity of the elevator. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In physics, power (symbol: P) is the rate at which work is performed or energy is transmitted, or the amount of energy required or expended for a given unit of time. ... Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity and/or direction, and at any point on a velocity-time graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to the curve at that point. ... Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity, and at any point on a v-t graph, it is given by the gradient of the tangent to that point In physics, acceleration (symbol: a) is defined as the rate of change (or time derivative) of velocity. ...

The grooves in the drive sheave are specially designed to prevent the cables from slipping. "Traction" is provided to the ropes by the grip of the grooves in the sheave, thereby the name. As the ropes age and the traction grooves wear, some traction is lost and the ropes must be replaced and the sheave repaired or replaced. Traction usually refers to friction between a drive member and the surface it runs on, where friction is used to provide motion. ...

Elevators with more than 100' of travel have a system called compensation. This is a separate set of cables or a chain attached to the bottom of the counterweight and the bottom of the elevator cab. This makes it easier to control the elevator, as it compensates for the differing weight of cable between the hoist and the cab. If the elevator cab is at the top of the hoist-way, there is a short length of hoist cable above the car and a long length of compensating cable below the car and vice versa for the counterweight. If the compensation system uses cables, there will be an additional sheave in the pit below the elevator, to guide the cables. If the compensation system uses chains, the chain is guided by a bar mounted between the counterweight rails.

Hydraulic elevators

In geotechnical engineering, a caisson is a retaining, watertight structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier, for the construction of a concrete dam, or for the repair of ships. ...

Climbing elevator

A climbing elevator is a self-ascending elevator with its own propulsion. The propulsion can be done by an electric or a combustion engine. Climbing elevators are used in guyed masts or towers, in order to make easy access to parts of these constructions, such as flight safety lamps for maintenance. An example would be the Moonlight towers in Austin, Texas, where the elevator holds only one person and equipment for maintenance. Moonlight tower in Austin, Texas. ...

Controlling elevators

General controls

A typical modern passenger elevator will have: Download high resolution version (615x820, 70 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (615x820, 70 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... In many buildings in the U.S. and Canada, there is no thirteenth floor. ...

Some elevators may have one or more of the following: Listen to this article ( info/dl) This audio file was created from a revision dated 2006-09-06, and may not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Key Switches are switches that can only be activated by keys, usually used in buisnesses where they dont want anyone to use the switches except the management. ...

Other controls, which are generally inaccessible to the public (either because they are key switches, or because they are kept behind a locked panel, include: For other uses, see Telephone (disambiguation). ... This article is about the profession. ... An EPC RFID tag used for Wal-Mart Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. ... Key Switches are switches that can only be activated by keys, usually used in buisnesses where they dont want anyone to use the switches except the management. ...

Controls in early elevators

Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 653 KB)Pushbutton manual elevator control panel at MIT. . © Joseph Barillari 2005 Controls are (top to bottom, left to right) alarm, lightswitch, start-stop, up, down, inch up, inch down. ... Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 653 KB)Pushbutton manual elevator control panel at MIT. . © Joseph Barillari 2005 Controls are (top to bottom, left to right) alarm, lightswitch, start-stop, up, down, inch up, inch down. ... Elevator opeators are not used anymore. ... Automotive style miniature relay A relay is an electrical switch that opens and closes under the control of another electrical circuit. ... A logic gate performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produces a single logic output. ... A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit (IC). ...

External controls

Elevators are typically controlled from the outside by up and down buttons at each stop. When pressed at a certain floor, the elevator arrives to pick up more passengers. If the said elevator is currently serving traffic in a certain direction, it will only answer hall calls in the same direction unless there are no more calls beyond that floor.

In a group of two or more elevators, the call buttons may be linked to a central dispatch computer, such that they illuminate and cancel together. This is done to ensure that only one car is called at one time.

Key switches may be installed on the ground floor so that the elevator can be remotely switched on or off from the outside.

Floor numbering

The elevator algorithm

The elevator algorithm, a simple algorithm by which a single elevator can decide where to stop, is summarized as follows: The elevator algorithm (also SCAN/C-SCAN) is a disk scheduling algorithm to determine the motion of the disks arm and head in servicing read and write requests. ... Flowcharts are often used to graphically represent algorithms. ...

The elevator algorithm has found an application in computer operating systems as an algorithm for scheduling hard disk requests. Modern elevators use more complex heuristic algorithms to decide which request to service next. An operating system (OS) is the software that manages the sharing of the resources of a computer and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... In computer science, besides the common use as rule of thumb (see heuristic), the term heuristic has two well-defined technical meanings. ...

Computer dispatched

Efficiencies of multiple elevators installed in an office building may increase if a central dispatcher is used to group passengers going to the same floor to the same elevator. In the industry, this is known as the 'Destination floor control system'. In buildings with these computer-dispatched elevator system, passengers key in their destination floor in a central dispatch panel located at the building lobby. The dispatch panel will then tell the passenger which elevator to use. Inside the elevator there is no call button to push (or the buttons are there but they cannot be pushed, they only indicate stopping floors). The system was first pioneered by Schindler Elevator as the Miconic 10. Manufacturers of such systems claim that average traveling time can be reduced by up to 30%. There are some problems with the system, though. Sometimes, one person enters the destination for a large group of people going to the same floor. The dispatching algorithm is usually unable to completely cater for the variation, and late comers may find the elevator they are assigned to is already full. Also, occasionally, one person may press the floor multiple times. This is common with up/down buttons when people believe this to hurry elevators. However, this will make the computer think multiple people are waiting and will allocate empty cars to serve this one person. Flowcharts are often used to graphically represent algorithms. ...

Special operating modes

Up peak

During Up Peak mode, elevator cars in a group are recalled to the lobby to provide expeditious service to passengers arriving at the building, most typically in the morning as people arrive for work or at the conclusion of a lunch-time period. Elevators are dispatched one-by-one when they reach a pre-determined passenger load, or when they have had their doors opened for a certain period of time. The next elevator to be dispatched usually has its hall lantern or a "this car leaving next" sign illuminated to encourage passengers to make maximum use of the available elevator system capacity.

The commencement of Up Peak may be triggered by a time clock, by the departure of a certain number of fully loaded cars leaving the lobby within a given time period, or by a switch manually operated by a building attendant.

Down peak

During Down Peak mode, elevator cars in a group are sent away from the lobby towards the highest floor served, after which they commence running down the floors in response to hall calls placed by passengers wishing to leave the building. This allows the elevator system to provide maximum passenger handling capacity for people leaving the building.

The commencement of Down peak may be triggered by a time clock, by the arrival of a certain number of fully loaded cars at the lobby within a given time period, or by a switch manually operated by a building attendant.

Sabbath service

In areas with large populations of observant Jews, one may find a "Sabbath elevator". In this mode, an elevator will stop automatically at every floor, allowing people to step on and off without having to press any buttons. Regenerative braking is also disabled if it is normally used, shunting energy collected from downward travel, and thus the gravitational potential energy of passengers, into a resistor network. This prevents violation of the Sabbath prohibition against doing useful work.[6] This article is about the transportation device. ... A regenerative brake is an apparatus, a device or system which allows a vehicle to recapture and store part of the kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost to heat when braking. ... Potential energy can be thought of as energy stored within a physical system. ... Resistor symbols (American) Resistor symbols (Europe, IEC) Axial-lead resistors on tape. ... For other uses, see Sabbath. ...

Independent service

Independent service is a special service mode found on most elevators. It is activated by a key switch either inside the elevator itself or on a centralized control panel in the lobby. When an elevator is placed on independent service, it will no longer respond to hall calls. (In a bank of elevators, traffic would be rerouted to the other elevators, while in a single elevator, the hall buttons will be disabled). The elevator will remain parked on a floor with its doors open until a floor is selected and the door close button is held until the elevator starts to travel. Independent service is useful when transporting large goods or moving groups of people between certain floors.

Inspection service

Inspection service is designed to provide access to the hoistway and car top for inspection and maintenance purposes by qualified elevator mechanics. It is first activated by a key switch on the car operating panel usually labelled 'Inspection', 'Car Top', 'Access Enable' or 'HWENAB'. When this switch is activated the elevator will come to a stop if moving, car calls will be cancelled (and the buttons disabled), and hall calls will be assigned to other elevator cars in the group (or cancelled in a single elevator configuration). The elevator can now only be moved by the corresponding 'Access' key switches, usually located at the top-most (to access the top of the car) and bottom-most (to access the elevator pit) landings. The access key switches will bypass the door lock circuit for the floor it is located on and allow the car to move at reduced inspection speed with the hoistway door open. This speed can range from anywhere up to 60% of normal operating speed on most controllers, and is usually defined by local safety codes.

Elevators have a car top inspection station that allows the car to be operated by a mechanic in order to move it through the hoistway. Generally, there are three buttons - UP, RUN, and DOWN. Both the RUN and a direction button must be held to move the car in that direction, and the elevator will stop moving once one of the buttons is no longer being pressed for safety reasons. The inspection station is usually also equipped with a light, alarm button and stop switch.

Fire service mode

Depending on the location of the elevator, fire service code will vary state to state and country to country. Fire service is usually split up into two modes. Phase One and Phase Two are separate modes that the elevator can go into.

Phase one mode is activated by a corresponding smoke sensor or heat sensor in the building. Once an alarm has been activated, the elevator will automatically go into phase one. The elevator will wait an amount of time, then proceed to go into nudging mode to tell everyone the elevator is leaving the floor. Once the elevator has left the floor, depending on where the alarm was set off, the elevator will go to the Fire Recall Floor. However, if the alarm was activated on the fire recall floor the elevator will have an alternate floor to recall to. When the elevator is recalled, it proceeds to the recall floor and stops with its doors open. The elevator will no longer respond to calls or move in any direction. Located on the fire recall floor is a fire service key switch. The fire service key switch has the ability to turn fire service off, turn fire service on or to bypass fire service. The only way to return the elevator to normal service is to switch it to bypass after the alarms have reset.

Phase two mode can only be activated by a key switch located inside the elevator on the centralized control panel. This mode was created for firefighters so that they may rescue people from a burning building. The phase two key switch located on the COP has three positions: off, on, and hold. By turning phase two on, the firefighter enables the car to move. However, like independent service mode, the car will not respond to a car call unless the firefighter manually pushes and holds the door close button. Once the elevator gets to the desired floor it will not open its doors unless the firefighter holds the door open button. This is in case the floor is burning and the firefighter can feel the heat and knows not to open the door. The firefighter must hold door open until the door is completely opened. If for any reason the firefighter wishes to leave the elevator, they will use the hold position on the key switch to make sure the elevator remains at that floor. If the firefighter wishes to return to the recall floor, they simply turn the key off and close the doors.

Medical emergency/'Code Blue' service

Commonly found in hospitals, Code Blue service allows an elevator to be summoned to any floor for use in an emergency situation. Each floor will have a 'Code Blue' recall key switch, and when activated, the elevator system will immediately select the elevator car that can respond the fastest, regardless of direction of travel and passenger load. Passengers inside the elevator will be notified with an alarm and indicator light to exit the elevator when the doors open.

Once the elevator arrives at the floor, it will park with its doors open and the car buttons will be disabled to prevent a passenger from taking control of the elevator. Medical personnel must then activate the Code Blue key switch inside the car, select their floor and close the doors with the door close button. The elevator will then travel non-stop to the selected floor, and will remain in Code Blue service until switched off in the car. Some hospital elevators will feature a 'hold' position on the Code Blue key switch (similar to fire service) which allows the elevator to remain at a floor locked out of service until Code Blue is deactivated.

Emergency power operation

Many elevator installations now feature emergency power systems which allow elevator use in blackout situations and prevent people from becoming trapped in elevators.

Traction elevators

When power is lost in a traction elevator system, all elevators will initially come to a halt. One by one, each car in the group will return to the lobby floor, open its doors and shut down. People in the remaining elevators may see an indicator light or hear a voice announcement informing them that the elevator will return to the lobby shortly. Once all cars have successfully returned, the system will then automatically select one or more cars to be used for normal operations and these cars will return to service. The car(s) selected to run under emergency power can be manually overridden by a key or strip switch in the lobby. In order to help prevent entrapment, when the system detects that it is running low on power, it will bring the running cars to the lobby or nearest floor, open the doors and shut down.

Hydraulic elevators

In hydraulic elevator systems, emergency power will lower the elevators to the lowest landing and open the doors to allow passengers to exit. The doors then close after an adjustable time period and the car remains unusable until reset, usually by cycling the elevator main power switch. Typically, due to the high current draw when starting the pump motor, hydraulic elevators aren't run using standard emergency power systems. Buildings like hospitals and nursing homes usually size their emergency generators to accommodate this draw. However, the increasing use of current limiting motor starters, commonly known as "Soft-Start" contactors, avoid much of this problem and the current draw of the pump motor is less of a limiting concern.

Elevator convenience features

Elevators may feature talking devices as an accessibility aid for the blind. In addition to floor arrival notifications, the computer announces the direction of travel, and notifies the passengers before the doors are to close.

In addition to the call buttons, elevators usually have floor indicators (often illuminated by LED) and direction lanterns. The former are almost universal in cab interiors with more than two stops and may be found outside the elevators as well on one or more of the floors. Floor indicators can consist of a dial with a rotating needle, but the most common types are those with successively illuminated floor indications or LCDs. Likewise, a change of floors or an arrival at floors is indicated by a sound, depending on the elevator. External links LEd Category: TeX ... A dial is a generally a flat disk, often with numbers or similar markings on it, used for displaying the setting or output of a timepiece, radio or measuring instrument In telephony and telecommunications in connection with a telephone, a dial refers, in older telephones, to a rotating disk with... Look up needle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... LCD redirects here. ...

Direction lanterns are also found both inside and outside elevator cars, but they should always be visible from outside because their primary purpose is to help people decide whether or not to get on the elevator. If somebody waiting for the elevator is going up but a car comes first indicating that it is going down, then the person may decide not to get on the elevator. If the person waits, then one will still stop going up. Direction indicators are sometimes etched with arrows or shaped like arrows and/or use the convention that one that lights up red means "down" and green means "up". Since the color convention is often undermined or overrided by systems that do not invoke it, it is usually used only in conjunction with other differentiating factors. An example of a place whose elevators use only the color convention to differentiate between directions is the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, where a single circle can be made to light up green for "up" and red for "down." Sometimes directions must be inferred by the position of the indicators relative to one another. The Museum of Contemporary Art is a contemporary art museum in downtown Chicago. ...

In addition to lanterns, most elevators make a chime to indicate if the elevator is going up or down either before or after the doors open, usually in conjunction with the lanterns lighting up. Universally, one chime is for up, two is for down, and none indicates an elevator that is 'free'.

Standards

The mechanical, electrical and design of elevators are dictated according to various standards (aka elevator codes), which may typically be international, national, state, regional or city based. Where once many standards were prescriptive, specifying exact criteria which must be complied with, there has been a shift towards more performance-based standards where the onus falls on the designer to ensure that the elevator meets or exceeds the standard.

Because an elevator is part of a building, it must also comply with standards relating to earthquake resilience, fire standards, electrical wiring rules and so forth.

Additional requirements relating to access by disabled persons, may be mandated by laws or regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is the short title of United States Public Law 101-336, signed into law on July 26, 1990 by George H. W. Bush. ...

US and Canadian elevator standard specifics

Passenger elevators are required to conform to the American Society of Mechanical Engineer's Standard A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators in most US and Canadian jurisdictions (In Canada the document is the CAN/CSA B44 Safety Standard which was harmonized with the US version in the 2000 edition.) In addition passenger elevators may be required to conform to the requirements of A17.3 for existing elevators where referenced by the local jurisdiction. Passenger elevators are tested using the ASME A17.2 Standard. The frequency of these tests is mandated by the local jurisdiction, which may be a town, city, state or provincial standard. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (723x1463, 308 KB) Summary The entrance to a typical style elevator found in many residential and smaller commercial buildings throughout North America. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (723x1463, 308 KB) Summary The entrance to a typical style elevator found in many residential and smaller commercial buildings throughout North America. ...

Passenger elevators must also conform to many ancillary building codes including the Local or State building code, National Fire Protection Association standards for Electrical, Fire Sprinklers and Fire Alarms, Plumbing codes, and HVAC codes. Unfortunately, a bad invocation of NPFA regulations occur, because of inapropiate understanding and reference to these rules from Building Contractors and Elevators advisors in several countries (Latin American countries especially); usually the NFPA rules are mentioned from technician which ignore the real contents of NFPA rules, and NFPA compliance is required to providers and manufacturers, just as a quality reference, but not as a real reference. There are an inapropiate use and invocation of NFPA and ANSI rules which must be avoid by technician and engineers of elevator industry. Also, passenger elevators are required to conform to the American's with Disabilities Act and other State and Federal civil rights legislation regarding accessibility. The National Fire Protection Association (established 1896) is an independent, voluntary-membership, nonprofit (tax-exempt) organization. ... HVAC may also stand for High-voltage alternating current HVAC systems use ventilation air ducts installed throughout a building that supply conditioned air to a room through rectangular or round outlet vents, called diffusers; and ducts that remove air from return-air grilles Fire-resistance rated mechanical shaft with HVAC...

Residential elevators are required to conform to ASME A17.1. Platform and Wheelchair lifts are required to comply with ASME A18.1 in most US jurisdictions.

Most elevators have a location in which the permit for the building owner to operate the elevator is displayed. While some jurisdictions require the permit to be displayed in the elevator cab, other jurisdictions allow for the operating permit to be kept on file elsewhere – such as the maintenance office – and to be made available for inspection on demand. In such cases instead of the permit being displayed in the elevator cab, often a notice is posted in its place informing riders of where the actual permits are kept.

Notable Elevator Installations, by Location

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower has double-deck elevators built into the legs of the tower, serving the ground level to the first and second levels. Even though the shaft runs diagonally upwards with the contour of the tower, both the upper and lower cars remain horizontally level. The offset distance of the two cars changes throughout the journey. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 Ã— 1200 pixel, file size: 386 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) An elevator pulley in the Eiffel Tower. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1600 Ã— 1200 pixel, file size: 386 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) An elevator pulley in the Eiffel Tower. ... The Eiffel Tower (French: , ) is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris. ...

There are four elevator cars of the traditional design that run from the second level to the third level. The cars are connected to their opposite pairs (opposite in the elevator landing/hall) and use each other as the counterweight. As one car ascends from level 2, the other descends from level 3. The operations of these elevators are synchronized by a light signal in the car. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 uses double-deck elevators to service the main building tenants, although it is not the first of such implementations. Within the building are several sky lobbies accessible via non-stop service elevators; after which the tenants must transfer elevators to reach their floor. Each sky lobby is also equipped with the "floor dispatch" system. Taipei 101 (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: TÃ¡ibÄ›i YÄ«lÃngyÄ«; Wade-Giles: Tai-pei I-ling-i) is a 101-floor landmark skyscraper located in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. ...

The observation deck elevators are the fastest in the world. They accelerate to a top speed of 1010 meters per minute (60.6 km/h) in 16 seconds – after which it begins to slow down for the arrival to the observation deck. The upward journey from 5th floor to 89th floor is 352 meters long, and is completed in a matter of 37 seconds. The downward journey is completed at a reduced speed throughout.

The car and its counterweight are shaped like a bullet-train to minimize traveling noise. The cabin features a pair of interactive displays showing the car's vertical position in the tower, along with floor, altitude, timer, and vertical speed. Further, the cabin is pressurized to enhance passenger comfort in adapting to rapid changes in air pressure.

The Gateway Arch

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri has a unique elevator system which carries passengers from the visitors' center underneath the Arch to the observation deck at the top of the structure. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (800x1200, 1083 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Jefferson National Expansion Memorial User:Rklawton/Galleries Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (800x1200, 1083 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Jefferson National Expansion Memorial User:Rklawton/Galleries Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from... The Old Courthouse sits at the heart of the city of Saint Louis, with the arch to the east, near the rivers edge. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area - City 66. ...

Called a tram or tramway, people enter this unique tramway much as one would enter an ordinary elevator, through double doors. Passing through the doors the passengers in small groups enter a horizontal cylindrical compartment containing seats on each side and a flat floor. A number of these compartments are linked to form a train. These compartments each individually retain an appropriate level orientation by tilting while the entire train follows curved tracks up one leg of the arch. This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ...

There are two tramways within the Arch, one at the north end, and the other at the south end. The entry doors have windows, so people traveling within the Arch are able to see the interior structure of the Arch during the ride to and from the observation deck. At the beginning of the trip the cars hang from the drive cables, but as the angle of the shaft changes, they end up beside and then on top of the cables.

Download high resolution version (800x1067, 149 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (800x1067, 149 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

New City Hall, Hanover, Germany

The elevator in the new city hall in Hanover, Germany is a technical rarity, and unique in Europe, as the elevator starts straight up but then changes its angle by 15 degrees to follow the contour of the dome of the hall. The cabin therefore tilts 15 degrees during the ride. The elevator travels a height of 43 meters. The new city hall was built in 1913. The elevator was destroyed in 1943 and rebuilt in 1954. Download high resolution version (240x614, 7 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (240x614, 7 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... , Hanover(i) (German: , IPA: ), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ...

Luxor Inclinator Elevator

In Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Luxor Casino, is the Inclinator. The shape of this casino is a pyramid. Therefore, the elevator travels up the side of the pyramid at a 39 degree angle. Although people refer to this "inclined elevator" as an inclinator, this is wrong. An inclinator is a stairlift developed by Inclinator Company of America many years ago. Therefore the Luxor installation is just Otis Elevator's version of a generic "Inclined Elevator". For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other meanings, see pyramid (disambiguation). ...

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Main Article: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, more commonly known as Tower of Terror, is a simulated freefall thrill ride at Disney-MGM Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and at Disneys California Adventure in Anaheim, California. ...

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the common name for a series of a free-fall elevator attractions at the Disney's Hollywood Studios park in Orlando, Disney's California Adventure park in Anaheim, the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and the Tokyo DisneySea park in Tokyo. The central element of this attraction is the unique free-fall experience achieved through the use of a state-of-the-art elevator system. For safety reasons, passengers are seated and secured in their seats rather than allowing them to stand. Unlike most traction elevators, the elevator car and counterweight are joined using a cable system in a continuous loop running through both the top and the bottom of the drop shaft. This allows the drive motor to pull down on the elevator car from underneath, a feature which is used to raise passengers out of their seats early in the drop sequence by applying downward acceleration in addition to that of gravity. Furthermore, the uniquely fast and powerful drive motor allows the elevator to ascend to the top in mere seconds. Disney-MGM Studios is a theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA. The third park to open at the resort, it debuted on May 1, 1989. ... Disneys California Adventure is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. ... The Walt Disney Studios Park is one of the main attractions of Disneyland Resort Paris. ... Tokyo DisneySea ) is an 176 acre (714,000 mÂ²) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside of Tokyo. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Finally, the passenger cab is mechanically removed from the main elevator car so that the elevator shaft can efficiently be used continuously while the passenger cabs can alternatingly be removed to permit passenger boarding. The Disney's Hollywood Studios version of the attraction achieves this operation in a very different fashion than that of the other versions, although the end effect is similar. All of the attraction buildings feature multiple elevator shafts to further improve throughput. The doorways of the top few "floors" are open to the outdoor environment, offering a dramatic view for both the ride passengers and the street-level observers.

"Top of the Rock" elevators

Guests ascending to the 67th, 69th, and 70th level observation decks (dubbed "Top of the Rock") atop the GE Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City ride a high-speed glass-top elevator. When entering the cab, it appears to be any normal elevator ride. However, once the cab begins moving, the interior lights turn off and a special blue light above the cab turns on. This lights the entire shaft, so riders can see the moving cab through its glass ceiling as it rises and lowers through the shaft. Music plays and various animations are also displayed on the ceiling. The entire ride takes about 60 seconds. This article is about the skyscraper in Rockefeller Center. ... GE Building at Rockefeller Center The GE Building at night Close-up against the night sky At night, from the ground View from Top of the Rock at dusk The GE Building is a slim gothic skyscraper and the focal point at the Rockefeller Center. ... Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st Streets in New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Apple Stores

An elevator located in the centre of the Apple Store in London takes passengers between the ground and first floors. The elevator is operated by a hydraulic ram and made almost entirely of glass, consisting of a glass shaft, containing a car with glass walls and ceiling. The elevator, manufactured by Apex Lifts, is unique in a number of ways: firstly, the car-top controls are removable, so that whilst the lift is in normal service, there are no visible mechanics on top of the glass box that is the car; secondly, there are no lift position switches within the shaft, with the exception of the top final-limit switch. Instead of these conventional switches within the shaft, the lift employs a laser, which is aimed from under the pit floor to a target on the car, and in this way the exact height of the car can be obtained, enabling the car to stop with an accuracy of 1mm.^[6] Apple Store may refer to: The chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Computer: Apple Store (retail) Apple Computers online store: Apple Store (online) Categories: | ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

A similar elevator, installed by Otis, takes Apple customers in the New York City store from the 35-foot ground floor cube to the basement store. This elevator too is made entirely of glass. On May 29, 2006, just a week after its opening, it made the news when it trapped five passengers.^[7] Otis can refer to: Otis, the Great Bustard. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Haunted Mansion, Disneyland, Anaheim, California

Part of the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland in California takes place on an elevator. The stretching room on the ride is actually an elevator that travels downwards so that passengers would be able to pass underneath the Disneyland Railroad tracks. The elevator has no ceiling and its shaft is decorated to look like walls of a mansion. Because there is no roof, passengers are able to see the walls of the shaft by looking up, which gives the illusion of the room stretching. The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Park in Paris (as Phantom Manor). ... Anaheim redirects here. ... The Disneyland Railroad (DRR) is a narrow gauge railroad located at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, United States, that was inaugurated on that theme parks opening day, July 17, 1955. ...

Elevators for urban transport

In some towns, where terrain is difficult enough to justify, elevators are used as part of the urban transport systems.

Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki listen? (é•·å´Žå¸‚; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located at the south-western coast of Kyushu, Japan. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Bad Schandau, is a town of Germany, in the state of Saxony. ... The Hammetschwand Elevator is the highest free air elevator of Europe and is located in Switzerland. ... The Katarina Elevator The Katarina Elevator (Katarinahissen) in Stockholm, goes from Slussen up to the heights of SÃ¶dermalm. ... For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Motto: E Assim a Pomba Voltou Ã Arca (And then the pigeon returned to the ship) Location of Salvador Country Brazil Region State Bahia Founded 29 March 1549 Government - Mayor JoÃ£o Henrique Carneiro (PMDB) Area - Total 706 kmÂ² (272. ... Oregon City Municipal Elevator The Oregon City Municipal Elevator is an elevator which connects two neighborhoods in Oregon City, Oregon. ... Nickname: End of the Oregon Trail, OC Motto: Urbs civitatis nostrae prima et mater Location in Oregon Coordinates: Country United States State Oregon County Clackamas Founded 1829 Incorporated 1844 Government - Mayor Alice Norris Area - City 8. ... Elevador de Santa Justa at night. ... For other uses, see Lisbon (disambiguation). ... The seafront at Shanklin, 2003 Shanklin is a popular seaside resort and civil parish[1] on the Isle of Wight, England, just south of Sandown on the south coast. ... , Marburg is a city in Hesse, Germany, on the Lahn river. ...

Elevator accidents

Maintenance is crucial for the safety of an elevator since they usually operate more than 20-30 years before replacement or modernization. Although elevators are a safe means of transport, accidents do sometimes happen, as with other machinery.

Asia

Co-existence of pools and new town buildings Tin Shui Wai (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Cantonese Jyutping: tin1 seoi2 wai4; Mandarin Pinyin: TiÄnshuÇwÃ©i), located in northwestern New Territories, Hong Kong. ... Yuen Long (å…ƒæœ—, Jyutping: jyun4 long5, pinyin: YuÃ¡nlÇŽng) (used to be known as Un Long), one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong, located in the North-West of the New Territories, is a post-war new town set in the centre of Hong Kongs largest alluvial plain. ... Fanling Wai Deserted market in Luen Wo Hui, originally run by Puntis Fanling Law Courts Building New buildings in Luen Wo Hui A block of Wah Ming Estate, a typical Y-shaped public estate, in Fanling, at sunset Fanling, also known as Fan Ling and Fan Leng, is an area... Location within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Click here for satellite image) District Council Chairman Lau Tin-sang Constituencies 16 Area â€“Land â€“Water 168 kmÂ² kmÂ² kmÂ² Population â€“Total (2006) â€“Density 280,730 2,055/kmÂ² Latitude Longitude Official website: North District Council North District (Traditional Chinese: ) is the... HachiÅji (å…«çŽ‹åå¸‚; -shi) is a city located in Tokyo, Japan, about 40 km west of the center of Tokyo. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Iwashimizu Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine in Yawata. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Minato (港区; -ku) is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chiba Prefecture ) is located in the Greater Tokyo Area of Honshu Island, Japan. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Minato (港区; -ku) is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. ... The Minato Ward 2006 elevator accident was an incident in June 2006 which shook Japanese public confidence in the safety of elevators around the country. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Wards of Tokyo | Japan geography stubs ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Omsk (Russian: ) is a city in southwest Siberia in Russia, the administrative center of Omsk Oblast. ...

Americas

University Avenue is one of the main north-south roads in downtown Toronto. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ohio State University (OSU) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Ohio. ... A typical American college dorm room Another typical not-so-clean college dorm room Watterson Towers, Illinois State University Potomac Hall, second-largest dormitory at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. ... Asphyxia is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body. ... Official language(s) English Demonym Coloradan Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area Ranked 8th in the US - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 kmÂ²) - Width 280 miles (451 km) - Length 380 miles (612 km) - % water 0. ... This article is about the state. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Location of CancÃºn Location of CancÃºn Coordinates: , Country Mexico State Municipality Benito JuÃ¡rez Foundation April 20, 1970 Government - Mayor Francisco Antonio Alor Quezada (PRI) Highest elevation 10 m (30 ft) Lowest elevation 0 m (0 ft) Population (2005) - Total 572,973 - Demonym Cancunense Time zone CST (UTC...

Europe

This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Southampton (disambiguation). ...

Manufacturers of elevators

Fujitec Corporation Ltd is a company manufacturing elevators, escalators, and vertical mechanized parking equipment. ... It has been suggested that Hitachi Works be merged into this article or section. ... Kone Corporation, founded in 1910 and headquartered at Espoo, Finland, is an international engineering and service company employing about 30,000 people. ... Mitsubishi Electric Corporation ) (TYO: 6503 ) is a Japanese company based in the Tokyo Building in Tokyo, manufactures electric and architectural equipment, as well as a major worldwide producer of photovoltaic panels. ... The Otis Elevator Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of vertical transportation systems, principally elevators and escalators. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... ThyssenKrupp AG (ISIN: DE0007500001) is a very large German industrial conglomerate, with about 188,000 employees. ...

Contents

History

Elevator Safety

Uses of elevators

Passenger service

Types of passenger elevators

Entrapment

Capacity

Freight elevators

Vehicle elevators

Boat elevators

Aircraft elevators

Dumbwaiter

Paternoster

Material handling belts and belt elevators

Types of elevator hoist mechanisms

Traction elevators

Hydraulic elevators

Climbing elevator

Controlling elevators

General controls

Controls in early elevators

External controls

Floor numbering

The elevator algorithm

Computer dispatched

Special operating modes

Up peak

Down peak

Sabbath service

Independent service

Inspection service

Fire service mode

Medical emergency/'Code Blue' service

Emergency power operation

Traction elevators

Hydraulic elevators

Elevator convenience features

Standards

US and Canadian elevator standard specifics

Notable Elevator Installations, by Location

Eiffel Tower

Taipei 101

The Gateway Arch

New City Hall, Hanover, Germany

Luxor Inclinator Elevator

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

"Top of the Rock" elevators

Apple Stores

Haunted Mansion, Disneyland, Anaheim, California

Elevators for urban transport

Elevator accidents

Asia

Americas

Europe

Manufacturers of elevators

See also

References

External links