There is no doubt at all that the elevator is today one of the most convenient modes of transport inside a building. It gets so much better and convenient where the building in question has more than 10 floors. One can of course, take the stairs. When it comes to speed and accessing the other floors within minutes, the elevator takes the medal. That is perhaps the reason why the elevator is defined as a type of transport equipment for the commute of goods and individuals within a building.
An electric motor is more often than not, the concept behind all elevators. The motor is simply designed to run on traction cables, hydraulic cables or counterweight systems. But like any elevator consultant will tell you, there is much more into elevators than what most people think. To fully understand them, one needs to first understand the different types of elevators available. Read on to learn more.
Traction elevators
Traction elevators are without a doubt the most common types of elevators in the market today. Their simple design gives them an upper hand over the other types of elevators. They function with the help of a strong steel rope designed to pass over a rotating wheel. The wheel is attached to an equally strong electric motor which makes movement possible.
When the motor is powered, the wheel gets in motion and pulls the rope. This in turn lifts the elevator car to different floors. It is important to note that the wheel should be strategically placed in a sizeable machine room on the highest floor of the building to make elevator movements easy. There is also the speed factor which is determined by wheel and rope coordination. The speed can always be increased by adding a steady counterweight to one end of the rope and allowing the other end to be attached to the car. Note traction elevators are further divided into three types which are:
• The geared traction elevator – It features a gearbox attached to the electric motor. This allows the elevator to move faster. That explain why most geared traction elevators can move with a speed of up to 500ft/min.
• The non-geared traction elevator – It does not have a gearbox. The wheel is simply attached to the motor directly so as to increase speed. The design makes it possible for the elevator to move at a speed of up to 200 ft/min.
• Then non machine room elevator – This one boasts of a simple concept where the motor and the wheel are placed right above the elevator shaft. Accessing the car and other parts of the elevator therefore becomes simple and convenient.
Hydraulic elevators
Hydraulic elevators have slower mechanisms compared to the aforementioned traction elevators. The mechanism features a piston which is positioned at the bottom of the car. The piston is then controlled by a motor so as to push the car up and down depending on the buttons pressed inside the car. This usually consumes time and actually explains why nearly all hydraulic elevators move at a maximum speed of 200ft/min. This does not mean though that the hydraulic elevator is useless. It is ideal for smaller buildings with a maximum of 10 floors.
Elevators and Maintenance
Elevators are pretty much like cars and other mechanical devices. They call for regular maintenance at least three times every year. The stakes are certainly higher where an elevator is regularly used to transport more people and heavier goods. Such elevators call for frequent scheduled maintenance for purposes of ensuring elevator safety. Other salient factors like the brand of one’s desired elevator also matter a lot.
