Basic Principles in Building Conveying Systems

Question 1

mechanically move occupants and goods. In most buildings, these systems include passenger and freight elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators, moving ramps and walkways, and lifts for people and wheelchairs. Business and industrial operations may require specially designed material handling equipment (i. e., conveyors, chutes, and pneumatic tube systems),hoists, cranes, and scaffolding. Facilities on large sites may have monorails and other types of people movers.

Answer 1

Building conveying systems

Question 2

Manually operated elevators were first used for lifting freight in warehouses and manufacturing plants as early as the

Answer 2

1600s

Question 3

introduced the safety elevator, which prevented the fall of the elevator cab if the cable broke.

Answer 3

Elisha Otis
1852

Question 4

conveying device used to move people or freight vertically, usually between floors of a building.

Answer 4

elevator

Question 5

fluid-driven hydraulic jack to lift the elevator car.
It consists of a hydraulic jack (cylinder and plunger); a pump, powered by an electric motor, that increases the pressure in the hydraulic fluid; a control valve between the cylinder and reservoir controls the pressure in the jack; and a fluid reservoir (tank). It operates when the pump draws oil from the reservoir, pressurizes it, pushing the oil through the oil line to the jack, and driving the elevator car upward. A release of fluid through the control valve and back to the reservoir decreases oil pressure, which allows the plunger and connected elevator car to move downward.

Answer 5

Hydraulic Elevators

Question 6

an inground hydraulic jack lifts the elevator car. A long plunger requires a deep hole below the bottom landing. The hole is usually drilled into the ground and cased with a plastic or metal casing before the building is erected.

Answer 6

conventional (holed) hydraulic elevator

Question 7

has a telescoping plunger consisting of concentric tubes that slide within one another, allowing a shallow hole below the lowest floor.

Answer 7

telescopic hydraulic elevator

Question 8

are the most balanced type of hydraulic elevator configuration because the lifting point on the bottom of the elevator car is centered.

Answer 8

Conventional (holed) hydraulic elevators

Question 9

one or two jacks situated beside the rails that lift the platform. Because they do not require holes to be dug for the hydraulic jack(s), they are referred to as “holeless.” The dual or twin jack configuration can have two (front and rear) entrances, while the single jack configuration can only have one (front) entrance.

Answer 9

Holeless hydraulic elevators

Question 10

use a combination of both ropes and hydraulic power to raise and lower cars. They typically consist of a cantilevered car that is lifted by ropes that pass over a sheave (pulley) fastened to the top of a hydraulic plunger. As the plunger rises, so does the elevator car. Single rope configuration cannot have rear entrances.

Answer 10

Roped hydraulic elevators

Question 11

have a drive machine with an electric motor and pulley-like (grooved) drive sheave that holds cables that move the elevator car up or down.

Answer 11

Traction elevators

Question 12

hoisting ropes support the elevator and counterweight during normal operation. There are typically three to eight cables for each elevator. Most traction elevators generally use wire ropes that are 1⁄4 to 11⁄4 inches (6 to 32 mm) in diameter and are composed of multistrand soft steel wire wound around a hemp or polymeric core. Traditionally, the 8 -19 wire rope (eight strands with 19 wires per strand) pattern was used, but this is being replaced with modern patterns.

Answer 12

hoisting ropes

Question 13

designed to carry people and small packages.

Answer 13

Passenger elevators

Question 14

used to carry material, goods, equipment, and vehicles, rather than people.

Answer 14

Freight elevators

Question 15

small freight elevator used to transport lightweight freight such as food, laundry, books, records, and other small items.

Answer 15

dumbwaiter

Question 16

elevator installed in a variety of structures and locations to provide vertical transportation of authorized personnel and their tools and equipment only.

Answer 16

manlift

Question 17

paternoster

Answer 17

special type of elevator consisting of 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 multistory industrial plants. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like. Today, the installation of new paternosters is no longer allowed because of to their inherent danger.

Question 18

mechanical devices used for transporting people vertically between different levels of buildings. Typically, they take the form of a moving staircase, consisting of a ‘chain’ of single-piece aluminum or stainless steel steps guided by a system of tracks in a continuous loop.

Answer 18

• Escalators

Question 19

• They occupy the same physical space as a staircase, generally have no waiting time (other than during periods of congestion), allow a greater flow of people, and can be more practical than lifts. It is also possible for people to walk up or down escalators, if they are in a hurry, or if they break down.
• The speed of escalators is constant and is generally around 0.3-0.6 m (1-2 ft) per second. This translates to around 27-55 m (90-180 ft) per minute. An escalator moving an average of 44 m (145 ft) per minute can transport over 10,000 people per hour, which is a considerably higher capacity than a standard lift system.

Answer 19

Escalators

Question 20

solid, one piece, die-cast aluminum or steel. Yellow demarcation lines may be added to clearly indicate their edges.

linked by a continuous metal chain that forms a closed loop. The front and back edges of the steps are each connected to two wheels. The rear wheels are set further apart to fit into the back track and the front wheels have shorter axles to fit into the narrower front track. As described above, the position of the tracks controls the orientation of the steps.

Answer 20

steps

Question 21

built into the truss to guide the step chain, which continuously pulls the steps from the bottom platform and back to the top in an endless loop.

Answer 21

track system

Question 22

One for the front wheels of the steps

Answer 22

step wheel track

Question 23

One for the back wheels of the steps

Answer 23

trailer-wheel track

Question 24

provides a handhold for passengers while they are riding the escalator.

pulled along its own track by a chain that is connected to the main drive gear by a series of pulleys, keeping it at the same speed as the steps. Four distinct sections make up the rail: at its center is a “slider”, the “tension member“, the inner components, and the outer layer

Answer 24

HANDRAIL

Question 25

portion of the escalator/moving walk extending above the steps including skirt panels, glass or stainless steel interior panels, inner and outer deckings and handrail.

protects passengers riding the moving stairway / walkway forming a barrier through the entire travel of the unit. This is the structure supporting the handrail of the escalator and can be made of metal, sandwich panels or glass.

Answer 25

BALUSTRADE

Question 26

Extensions of the Balustrade at each end of the escalator (moving walk) that assist passengers when boarding and landing.

Answer 26

NEWEL

Question 27

installed on the sides of escalators and moving walkways to keep people from standing too close to the edges. Loose, low-hanging clothing, shoelaces, soft-soled shoes, and other such items are at risk for becoming caught in the moving track or moving stairs, so these brushes are designed to provide a gentle reminder for people to stand at a safe distance from the moving edges.

Answer 27

ESCALATOR BRUSHES

Question 28

Escalators are driven by a motor and chain system inside the truss. At its core are a pair of chains looped around two pairs of gears. The gears at the top of the escalator are turned by an electric motor, which in turn rotates the chain loops. The electric motor also powers the moving handrail which is looped around a series of wheels and is configured so that it moves at a similar speed to the steps.

Answer 28

MOTOR

Question 29

The structure that bridges the lower and upper landings, and carries the straight track sections. Steel or concrete supports connect the ends of the truss to the top and bottom landing platforms. It is an assembly of structural steel to support the weight and load of an escalator (moving walkway). A controller, drive units for Steps (Pallets) and Moving Handrails are housed inside the structure.

Answer 29

TRUSS

Question 30

At both the top as the bottom connection of the escalator a machine pit is necessary where the curved sections are located as well as the gears that drive the stairs. In the bottom doesn’t happen too much more
than this. The top, on the other hand, contains the motor assembly and the main drive gear. The pits are usually made out of concrete and are also used to anchor the ends of the escalator truss.

Answer 30

LANDING PLATFORMS

Question 31

It is provided at both the upper and lower landing of the escalator. This covered button allows anyone to stop the escalator immediately in the event of an emergency. Lifting the cover of the emergency stop button will cause an alarm to sound for five minutes or until the escalator is restarted. Pressing the button will stop the escalator immediately. The escalator can be restarted after releasing the button by using the normal start-up procedure.

Answer 31

EMERGENCY STOP BUTTON

Question 32

a power-driven, continuous, slow-moving conveyor belt that transports people horizontally. They are also called moving sidewalk, moving pavement, walkalator, and travelator.

more accessible to those in wheelchairs, as they are usually thought easier to use than getting in and out of small elevators.

Answer 32

moving walkway

Question 33

also called a moving rampor power ramp, is a moving walkway that transports people on an incline, up to a 12° angle of inclination.

Answer 33

inclined moving walkway

Question 34

continuous series of flat metal plates, called pallets, that are joined together to form a walkway. Usually there is a metal or rubber surface (extra traction).

Answer 34

pallet-type walkway

Question 35

comprised of a mesh metal or rubber belt with a rubber walking surface that move over metal rollers.

Answer 35

Moving belt walkway systems

Question 36

powered device designed to raise a wheelchair or scooter and its occupant to overcome a step or similar vertical barrier, usually 6 ft (1.8 m) or less. They often are designed to accommodate just one person in a wheelchair or scooter at a time. Commercial lifts are designed to raise a wheelchair or scooter and its occupant up to one story (about 12 ft>4 m).

Answer 36

WHEELCHAIR LIFT

Question 37

supply access to decks, porches, stages, and elevated surfaces.

Answer 37

PLATFORM LIFTS

Question 38

will carry a user safely up stairs. To use a stair lift, the user sits on the lift’s seat; the seat will then transfer the user up or downstairs via a staircase-mounted track.

Answer 38

STAIR LIFT

Question 39

is installed in small parking garages where ramps are not feasible. The platforms are raised and lowered hydraulically and are connected to steel chain gears. In addition to the vertical motion, the platforms can rotate about its vertical axis (up to 180°) to ease driver access and/or accommodate building plans. In selecting lift equipment, the building designer typically relies on specifications available from equipment suppliers.

Answer 39

car lift

Question 40

a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.

typically serves relatively small facilities such as airports, downtown districts, or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated systems. It may use technologies such as monorail, duorail, automated guideway transit, or magnetically levitating (maglev) method. Propulsion may involve conventional on-board electric motors, linear motors, or cable traction. APMs are common at large airports in the United States.

Answer 40

automated people mover (APM)

Question 41

a mechanical device used to move and store materials and goods. This equipment consists of trolleys, conveyors, forklifts, automated storage/retrieval systems, cargo and baggage handlers, carousels, rail-guided vehicles, automated guided vehicles, intelligent flexible modular conveyors, pick-and-place units, and overhead hoists and cranes. In selecting material-handling equipment, the building designer typically relies on specifications available from equipment suppliers.

Answer 41

Material-handling equipment

Question 42

carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor).

Answer 42

conveyor belt

Question 43

one of many types of conveyor systems
consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to as drums), with a closed loop of carrying medium—the conveyor belt—that rotates about them.

Answer 43

belt conveyor system