DefinitionHistoryComponents of

ElevatorsHow Elevators

work?Types of ElevatorsClassificationDesign

ConsiderationControl & Safety

DevicesModern Elevator

Elevators

DEFINITION

An elevator (lift in British

English) is a type of

vertical transport equipment

that efficiently moves people

or goods between floors

(levels, decks) of a

building, vessel, or other

structure. 

HistoryELISHA GRAVES OTIS

History

Components

The standard elevators will include the following basic components:

1.Car2.Hoistway3.Machine/drive system4.Safety system5.Control System

The vehicle that travels between the different elevator stops carrying passengers and/or goods. usually A heavy steel frame surrounding a cage of metal and wood panels.

The number of passengers shall be obtained from the formula: 

Number of passengers = rated load /75 

*Where 75 represent the average weight of a person in Kg. 

3 TYPES:

ComponentsFIRST: ELEVATOR CAR

The Standard Elevators Layouts:Standard elevators can be arranged in the following four layouts: 

Arrangement (A): Car with side opening door and the counterweight is located at

the back wall.

Arrangement (B): Car with central opening door and the counterweight is located at

the back wall. 

ComponentsFIRST: ELEVATOR CAR

Arrangement (C): Car with side opening door and the counterweight is located at

one side. 

Arrangement (D): Car with central opening door and the counterweight is

located at one side. 

 The space enclosed by fireproof walls and elevator doors for the travel of one or more elevators, dumbwaiters or material lifts.

ComponentsSECOND: HOISTWAY

Roping system

ComponentsSECOND: HOISTWAY

ELECTRIC TRACTION MACHINE ABOVE AND BELOW

ComponentsSECOND: HOISTWAY

Driving machine, this is the power unit of the elevator, and usually located at the elevator machine room. 

The Driving machine used to refer to the collection of components that raise or lower the elevator.

These include the drive motor, brake, speed reduction unit, sheaves and encoders. 

ComponentsTHIRD: ELEVATOR MACHINE & DRIVE SYSTEM

Layout of Elevator Safety System

ComponentsFOURTH: SAFETY SYSTEM

The system responsible for coordinating all aspects of elevator service such as travel, speed, and accelerating, decelerating, door opening speed and delay, levelling and hall lantern signals.

Simple Elevator Control System Inputs and Outputs 

It accepts INPUTS (e.g. button signals) and produces OUTPUTS (elevator cars moving, doors opening, etc.).

ComponentsFIFTH: ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM

SAMPLE VIDEO

How does it work?

SHEAVE SUSPENSION ROPECOUNTERWEIGHT and

COUNTERWEIGHT GUIDERAILS

GUIDERAILS

CALL BUTTONS

SENSORS

HOW ELEVATOR WORKS?: BASIC PARTS

BREAKS

GOVERNOR

TO HOIST MECHANISM:

TO BUILDING HEIGHT:

TO BUILDING TYPE:

TO ELEVATOR LOCATION

TO SPECIAL

USES1. Traction  

•Geard•Gear-less

2. Hydraulic • Plunger/

Holed• hole-less• Roped

3. Climbing  4. Pneumatic

A- Low-Rise buildings

B- Mid-Rise buildings

C- High-Rise buildings  

1. Hospital 2. Residential

/Domestic3. Agricultural 4. Industrial 5. Commercial 6. Parking

buildings

A- Outdoor Elevators 

A.1 Observation elevator 

A.2 Incline Elevators 

A.3 Platform Elevators

A.4 Freight Elevators

B- Indoor elevators

A- Handicap Elevators 

B- Grain Elevators

C- Double-deck elevator

D- Sky Lobby 

F- Limited use / limited application  (LU/LA)

ELEVATOR TYPES (ACCORDING TO: )

Types of Elevator

1. Passenger2. Freight3. Special Service

Classification

1.) TRACTION ELEVATOR

• gearless • geared

2.) HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR

• Holed• hole-less• roped

3.) CLIMBING ELEVATOR 4.) PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR

Types of ElevatorACCORDING TO HOIST

MECHANISMTRACTION

HYDRAULIC

CLIMBING  

PNEUMATIC

TRACTIONGEARED & GEARLESS

Types of ElevatorACCORDING TO HOIST

MECHANISM

Traction elevators are raised and lowered through the elevator shaft by cables operated by electric motors.Guide Rails

Counterweight

Buffers

Car Frame &Safety

Hoistway Door

Door Operator

Car

Machine Room

HOW DOES IT WORK? TRACTION

GEARED & GEARLESS

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

25

Traction Changes

Geared Gearless

COMPONENTS

Traction Elevator• car• cables• elevator machine• controls• counterweight• hoistway• rails• penthouse• pit

TRACTIONGEARED & GEARLESS

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

COMPONENTS TRACTION

GEARED & GEARLESS

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

Machine room• 8’-6” minimum

clear

Bottom of Beam (OH)

• 17’-6” – 20’6’’

Travel• number of floors

Pit (P)• 10’-1” – 11-5”

TRACTIONGEARED & GEARLESS

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

• Rise Limitations: ~ 300 feet (Geared) unlimited (Gearless)

• Cost: $150,000 - $200,000 (Geared) : $200,000 + (Gearless)

• Speeds: 350 - 500 fpm (Geared) : 500 - 1800+ (Gearless)

• Advantages of Gearless:• smoother• approx. twice machine life

HYDRAULICHOLED, HOLE-LESS & ROPED

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

20

Hydraulic Code Changes

Holeless Hydraulic Holed Hydraulic Roped Hydraulic

• Consists of three parts:

• Tank • Pump• Valve

The car is moved up and down using “a fluid piston mounted inside a cylinder”

SAMPLE VIDEO

HYDRAULICHOLED, HOLE-LESS & ROPED

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

Hydraulic elevator systems lift a car using a 

hydraulic ram, a fluid-driven piston mounted

inside a cylinder. 

HYDRAULICHOLED, HOLE-LESS & ROPED

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of ElevatorHOW DOES IT

WORK?

HYDRAULICHOLED

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

Guide Rails

Plunger & Cylinder

Controller & Pumping Unit

To & From Oil Pipe

Hoistway Door

Door Operator

• Rise Limitations: ~ 60 feet

• Speeds: 100/125/150 fpm

• Cost: $35 - $85K• Advantages:

• low cost• no penthouse• no structural load on

building• Disadvantages

• slow• energy inefficient

HYDRAULICHOLELESS

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

Controller & Pumping Unit

To & From Oil Pipe

Plungers & Cylinders

Guide Rails

Hoistway Door

Door Operator

• Rise Limitations: 20 feet

• Speeds: 100/125 fpm • Cost: $35 - $45K• Advantages:

• no well hole• minimizes environmental contamination

• Disadvantages:• limited travel

HYDRAULICROPED

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

• Rise Limitations: 60 feet• Cost: $45k - $75k • Speeds: 100 - 125 - 150 fpm• Advantages:

• Eliminates well hole• Same 60’ travel range as “holed”

hydro• Existing Building

• Disadvantages:• More costly than conventional holed

hydraulic

HYDRAULICHOLED, HOLE-LESS & ROPED

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of ElevatorCOMPONENT

S

Hydraulic• car• plunger/piston/jack• elevator machine• controls• hoistway• rails• penthouse/headway• pit

HYDRAULICHOLED, HOLE-LESS & ROPED

ACCORDING TO HOIST MECHANISM

Types of ElevatorCOMPONENT

S

Machine room• 7’-9” minimum clear

Bottom of Beam (OH)

• 12’-0” – 12’3’’

Pit (P)/Plunger• 4’-0”• Travel +2’-6”

CLIMBINGACCORDING TO HOIST

MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

They hold their own power device on them,

mostly electric or combustion engine.

Climbing elevators are often used in work and

construction areas.

PNEUMATICACCORDING TO HOIST

MECHANISM

Types of Elevator

Pneumatic elevators are raised and lowered by

controlling air pressure in a chamber in which the

elevator sits.

Matanglawin to

PNEUMATICACCORDING TO HOIST

MECHANISM

TRIVIA

A rendering of the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre

China to Get the World's Fastest Elevators: 95 Floors in 43 Seconds

ACCORDING TO BUILDING HEIGHT

Types of Elevator

A- Low-Rise buildingstypically use hydraulic elevators

because of their lower initial cost 

B- Mid-Rise buildings   typically use Geared Traction Elevators 

C- High-Rise buildings typically use Gear-Less Traction

Elevators 

ACCORDING TO BUILDING TYPE

Types of Elevator

1- Hospital Elevators  2- Residential /Domestic Elevators

ACCORDING TO BUILDING TYPE

Types of Elevator

3. Agricultural applications:4- Industrial Elevators 5- Parking Elevators

ACCORDING TO BUILDING TYPE

Types of Elevator

6- Commercial Elevators

A- Commercial passenger elevators 

B- Freight elevators C- Commercial Dumbwaiter 

ACCORDING TO ELEVATOR LOCATION

Types of Elevator

A- Outdoor Elevators Common types of outdoor elevators are cargo elevators, platform elevators, and incline and vertical elevators. 

A.1 Observation elevator  A.2 Incline Elevators  A.3 Freight Elevators

B- Indoor Elevators

ACCORDING TO SPECIAL USE

Types of Elevator

A- Handicap Elevators

B- Grain Elevators

C- Double-deck elevator 

ACCORDING TO SPECIAL USE

Types of Elevator

D- Sky Lobby 

F- Limited use / limited application  (LU/LA)

Classification1. Passenger A passenger elevator is designed to move people between a

building's floors.

2. Freight A freight elevator, or goods lift, is an elevator designed to carry goods, rather thanpassengers.

Classification3. Special Service

• Sidewalk elevators

• Stage lifts

• Vehicle elevators

• Boat lift

• Residential elevator

• Paternoster

• Rack-and-pinion elevator

Design Considerations

Design Considerations

• Key-operated elevators should be used only in private facilities or when an elevator operator is present.

• Wide elevator cabs are preferable to long ones.

• The minimum internal elevator dimensions, allowing for one wheelchair passenger alone, are 1.00 m x 1.30 m• The door opening should not be less than 0.80 m.

• The inside of the elevator should have a handrail on three sides mounted 0.80 to 0.85 m from the floor

• The accessible elevator should serve all floors normally reached by the public.

Control panel• The control panel can be mounted at one of the alternative locations shown in figure

3.• For ease of reach, the control panel should be mounted 0.90 m to 1.20 m from the

floor

Design Considerations

• The numerals on the floor selector buttons should be embossed so as to be easily identifiable by touch.

• Control buttons should be in an accessible location and illuminated. Their diameter should be no smaller than 20 mm.

Call buttons• For ease of reach, call buttons should be mounted 0.90 m to 1.20 m from the floor

Design Considerations

Floor identifiers• Tactile numerals should be placed on both sides of the door jambs at an approximate height of 1.50 m to help a lone sightless passenger to identify the floor reached

Hall signal• The elevator hall signal should be placed at an approximate height of 1.80 m

Door re-opening activators• The door opening interval should be no less than five seconds. Re-opening activators should be provided.

Design Considerations

Audiovisual signals• The elevator should signal arrival at each floor by means of a bell and a light to alert sightless and hearing-impaired passengers simultaneously.

Colour• The colour of the elevator door should contrast with the surrounding surface so as to be easily distinguishable by person with visual impairments.

Floor surface• The floor of the elevator and the area in front of the elevator on each floor should have a non skid resilient surface or a low-pile fixed carpet.

Design Considerations

Doors• single slide (24-36”)• center opening (42-60”)• two-speed, side opening

(42”)• two-speed, center opening

(60”)

Design Considerations

Planning guide

Four Car Group

Three Car Group

ELEVATOR GROUPINGS

Six Car Group

Eight Car Group

ELEVATOR ZONING

Control & Safety Devices

When engaged, emergency elevator brakes wedge up against the rails guiding the elevator car, slowing it to a stop.

When the elevator car is in the correct position, the door operating system unlocks and pulls open both the car doors and the elevator shaft doors.

CONTROL & SAFETY DEVICE

• The elevator system can respond to signals from other building systems to add calls, control access, and change elevator operating modes.

• Telephones or similar two-way communication devices are installed inside elevator carsfor emergencies.

• Inputs from access control systems can be used by elevator controllers to anticipate waiting passengers and automatically call elevators to certain floors.

• Elevator controllers are connected to numerous elevator-specific control devices to operate the elevator system independently.

• Call buttons are the typical method for passengers to select their desired travel direction or floor.

• In emergency fire situations, the fire alarm control panel signals to the elevator controller to recall the elevator car(s) to a designated floor.

• Phase two fire service mode functions are activated by a keyswitch, typically inside the elevator car.

• Access control systems can be used to admit only authorized personnel to elevators serving secure building areas.

• Elevators can be used to control access to certain areas of a building by either controlling the access to the elevator or controlling where the elevator can stop.

Martanglawin to

One of the "must sees" of St. Louis, Missouri, is the Gateway Arch.

SLANT ELEVATORS

This controversial 326 metre high elevator takes you up the side of one of the many enormous cliffs in Zhangjiajie, China

The elevator inside the louvre, paris,