TRANSPORTATION

LIFTS
SYSTEM IN BUILDING
History of Lifts

• Roman architect Vitruvius, reported

that Archimedes built his first elevator in
236 BC.[13] Elevators were mentioned as
cabs on a hemp rope and powered by
hand or by animals.
• In 1852, Elisha Otis introduced the safety
elevator, which prevented the fall of the cab if
the cable broke. The design of the Otis safety
elevator is somewhat similar to one type still
used today.

• On March 23, 1857 the first Otis passenger

elevator was installed at 488 Broadway in New
York City

• The Equitable Life Building completed in

1870 in New York City was the first office
building to have passenger elevators.[20]
Elisha Otis' elevator patent drawing, 15 January 1861.
1.1 Definition of Lifts

• A vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people between floors

(levels, deck) of a building, vessel or other structure.

• Generally powered by electric

motor that drive by traction cable and
counterweight systems like a hoist or
hydraulic pump.
Importance of Lifts

• Rapid development : buildings design nowadays built vertically /higher because

of high land cost.

• Basic needs : to bring building user from one level to higher level in building

• Comfort needs : working efficiency for office building or large organization.

• UBBL : building with more than 6 storey must provide lifts system.

• Fire requirements : provide fire lift to be used during fire.

1.2 Lift Categories According to the Function
• Trade Lift

- Crucial to the good performance to clients of the

building.
- Between 6 – 23 people.
- Speed of elevator 200 – 2000 ft/ min.
- Examples : offices, shopping mall and hotels
• Hospital Lift

- Used in hospital & treatment center

- Designed for transporting large carts or furniture.
- Speed of elevator 100 – 350 ft/ min.
- Two sides of front and back doors for loading and
unloading facilities.
- Door width between 900 – 1100mm
• High Residential Lift
- For high rise residential buildings such as flat, apartment
or condominium.
- Needs regular maintenance
because high frequency
of its use everyday or possibility
of vandalism.
• Institution Lift

- Used in library, office, classroom or lecture hall located

at high altitudes.

• Store Lift

- Used to transport heavy goods but depends on types of

good transported.
- Elevator speed 50 – 150ft/min.
- 5000 lbs normal, load haul 20000 lbs.
- Usually used in shoppping complex, airports, hotels,
warehouse
• Lift of Cars

- Used specifically to lift a car in

multi storey car park or
showroom.

NOTES :
• The six types of elevators had to be in the form of pull (traction) and
hydraulics.
• Form of traction is more commonly used for high velocity.
• Hydraulic type only used to transport goods where waiting time is not
concerned.
1.3 Characteristic of Lifts
1. Lift needed for the building more than 6 storey.
2. Installation must be in accordance with the regulation in UBBL.
3. Suitable speed 100 – 150ft/min. Too fast will result in a nervous
breakdown to the user. If too slow will cause lack of function.

USER REQUIREMENTS :

• Good System – quiet equipment, smooth journey, good condition

and safe at every moment.
• Waiting time – minimum waiting time at any level.
• Aesthetics – Button panel clear and easily reached at appropriate
level. Complete instruction. Decorative lighting and comfortable.
• Movement of door – door movement is quiet and fast.
1.4 Components & Installation of Lifts
Lift sub-system

• Control Motion – includes motor, gear, engines, brakes and power supply.
• Control System - to get control the movements of the lift.
• Door Control – contained motor connecting lift car doors, platforms gates and
door safety devices.
• Safety Control – contain the safety gear,
speed controller for the first balance, heat
and lack of power.
Typical traction lift design
Lift Components
LIFT CAR

• Platform where passengers or goods is transported.

• Constructed with steel or iron attached with steel frame.
• Fire resistance

Elevator hoist ropes on top of

a lift car
• Equipment to be provided – door, floor panel indicators, button of request,
phone, emergency button, lighting, ventilation and enough emergency supplies.

A modern internal control panel. Notice the buttons

labeled 1 above G. An external control panel
• Divided into 2 types :
1. Closed Lift (typical type)
2. Open Lift (bubble type)

Closed Lift (typical type)

Open Lift (bubble type)
LIFT SHAFT

• Constructed with reinforced concrete.

• To accommodate the loading and fire resistance.
• Size of lift shaft space is determined by the number of user.

Looking down the lift shaft of a

hydraulic elevator. The hydraulic
ram is to the left
Gearless motor mounted on the wall in the lift shaft
GOVERNOR

• Usually placed at the top of lift shaft.

• Placed in room equipped with a lifting beam for maintenance
purposes.
• Have electric motor, safety gear, guard rail, diaphragm motion
and gear.
LIFT DOOR

• Lift car is equipped with its own door (sliding type).

• Security measure – resist the movement as long as the door is
still open.
• Self closing within a certain time frame.
• 2 types of sliding door :
1. Opened automatically when the lift stops at
every level.
2. Swing door – will open when the lift stopped
at the lobby.
GUARD RAIL

• Work to keep the car and the counterweight.

• Mounted on both sides of the lift shaft which is attached to the
wheel of the car.
• A safety device to hold the lift from crashing down if the rope break.

BUFFER

• To absorb the impact of the lift car when it fell.

• Placed in a room called the lift pit.
COUNTERWEIGHT

• Load borne by the generator is balanced by the

counterweight.
• Connected with a wire rope of the elevator car.
• Function of counterweight :
- To grip the lift car
- Reduce the power of generator
- Reduce the brake to stop the car lifts.
 Bulkhead Hoisting Machinery
Penthouse Control Panel

Top Car Clearance

Driving Sheave
Idle Sheave

Hoistway
Machine Beam
Bank

Hoisting Cable
Landing
Guide Rail

Traveling Cable
Elevator Car Safety
Rise

Hoistway Door

Counterweight

Limit Switch

Elevator Pit Buffer

Bottom Car Clearance

1.5 Selection Factor
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
• Utility – The function must be identified whether for commercial, office
of hospital.
• Capacity & number of lifts – depends on the access building pattern and
building size.
• Speed – depends on the number of stops, numbers of user and
transport cost.
• Type & size of lift gate – depends on the use or function.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
• Size of lift shaft – depends on lift cargo capacity
• Depth of lift shaft – depends on the speed of elevator
• Area of space in lift – depends on speed of elevators.
• Mechanical room size – depends on type and size of the lift equipment.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Electrical panels and power outlets.

• Ventilation fan and lighting in engine room.
• Steps down and power sockets in the wells lift (lift pit).
• The structure for lifting the machinery room.
• Maintanence works.
Building type Waiting time (second)

Office building
- Central town 25 – 30
- Commercial 30 – 45
Residential building
- Luxury 50 – 70
- Medium type 60 – 80
- Low cost 80 – 120
- Hostel 60 – 80
Hotel
- Class A 40 – 60
- Class B 50 - 70
Function Lif capacity (lbs) Min. Speed Building height (ft)
(ft/min.)
Office Building
Small size 2500 350 – 400 0 – 125
500 – 600 126 – 225
Medium size 3000 700 226 – 275
800 276 – 375
High scale 3500 1000 > 375
Hotel 2500 Same as above
3000
Hospital 3000 150 0 – 60
200 61 – 100
3500 250 – 300 101 – 125
350 – 400 126 – 175
4000 500 – 600 176 – 250
700 > 250
Residential 2000 100 0 – 75
200 76 – 125
2500 250 – 300 126 – 200
350 - 400 > 200
Commercial 3500 200 0 – 100
4000 250 – 300 101 – 150
350 – 400 151 – 200
5000 500 > 200
1.6 Location & Lift Arrangement
LIFT ARRANGEMENT
• To ensure there is no interference between passengers who wish to
get into the lift.
• Should be carefully planned so can easily get into lobby and travel
distance is reasonable.
• Maximum travel distance 150 – 200ft
• System layout depends on the number of elevator cars that use the
elevator
• Normally the elevator is set in the layout or zoned.

BENEFIT
• If there is high traffic , the usage is at optimum level
• Waiting time will be shorten.
 Lift Arrangement for 2 car lift

Side by side Not good

arrangement – width Opposite arrangement
of corridor = width arrangement of
of car lift corridor = width of
car lift
ment –
width of corridor =
width of car lift
 Lift Arrangement for 3 car lift

Opposite Side by side

arrangement – width arrangement -width
of corridor = 1.5 – of corridor = 1.5A,
2A, where A is width where A is width of
of lift lift
 Lift Arrangement for 4 car lift

Opposite Side by side

arrangement – width arrangement -width
of corridor = 1.5 – of corridor = 1.5A,
2A, where A is width where A is width of
of lift lift
 Lift Arrangement for 6 car lift

Opposite Side by side

arrangement – width arrangement -width
of corridor = 1.75 – of corridor = 2A,
2A, where A is width where A is width of
of lift lift
Lift Arrangement for 6 car lift

Weak arrangement
for 6 car lift
Lift Arrangement for 8 car lift

Opposite
arrangement – width
of corridor = 2A,
where A is width of
lift
1.7 Types of lift
ELECTRIC LIFT

• Common type used today.

• Use electric lift cable to lift the
elevator car with the weight and
movement is the catalyst action.
• Use the traction with the motor.
• Used in most building > 60ft.
• Motor room on top of lift shaft will
increase the load of building structure.
Traction elevator motor
• Possibility of noise structure
• Need a lift wells and maintenance
room near the engine room.
HYDRAULIC LIFT

• Use hydraulics principles – moves by the action of steel

plunger lift which installed under the car.
• Not suitable for building > 60ft (low rise) – insufficient space
or roof rooms too small to put the machinery.
• Transport load not > 100,000 pound.
• Speed – not > 200ft/min.
• Installation does not increase the building structures because
lifting weight is not used.
• Machinery room located at ground floor
• Shaft area is smaller than electric lift.
Bottom view of a hydraulic elevator
HANDICAPPED LIFT

• For people with disability who use wheelchair.

• Or with disabilities who are unable to use ordinary crowded lift of
fast services.
• Mounted on the stair parallel to the ladder

FIRE LIFT

• Buildings over than 60ft high are required to provide fire lift.
• This lift controlled by a system back on in emergencies.
PATERNOSTER

• A lift systems moves continuously in one

direction by providing the same car lifts.
• Provides the movement up and down
continuously.
• No doors and passengers are forced into
or out of the moving car lift
• Speed – 80 min.
• Suitable for 6 – 7 storey buildings
• Not suitable to used by children or older people.
HIGH RISE LIFT

• Service requirement for high rise building is critical to balance

the upper and lower level services.
• The concept of zone system and sky lobby can be used.
• Usually divided into zones where high level car will not stop or
pick passengers at lower level.
• Zone which too low will takes passengers down to lower levels
such as 5 – 10 levels below.
DOUBLE DECKER LIFT

• Carry passengers without raising double the lift shaft.

• Have two platforms which are increased.
• High transport capacity and reduce floor space
• Number of stops can reduced to 50% - reducing waiting time and
shorter car lift trips.
• Can be used in building which has a same height in every level.
• The main lobby has two levels.
• Must have clear indication of the use in the main lobby to avoid
confusion.
1.8 : Lift Installation by zone system
ONE SYSTEM ZONE
• For building not > 15 levels.
• Elevators car stops at every level of the building.
• Used to save space.

TWO SYSTEM ZONE

• For buildings > 15 levels and < 40 levels.
• System brake into two zone of elevator
• The elevator of bottom and same for the top will not stop at any
lower zone.
• Not effective in the event of ‘off peak’ and interfloor service.
SKY LOBBY ZONE

• For building > 40 levels.

• A group lift with high speed moving lift
without interruption from the floor to
the sky lobby.
• The elevator will move with normal
velocity at the next level.
 Mechanical and electrical regulations Quiz
True or false
1. Overhead Service Entrance- In Subdivisions, Housing Projects, Commercial and
Industrial Buildings, overhead transmission and distribution voltages are required to
supply power source including transformers, poles and supporting structures.
2. Where building/s exceed 15.00 meters in height, overhead lines shall be arranged where
practicable so that clear space or zone at least 1.80 meters (horizontal) will be left
adjacent to the building or beginning not over 2.50 meters (horizontal) from the building,
to facilitate the raising of ladders where necessary for fire fighting.
3. Where the voltage between conductors does not exceed 300 volts and the roof has
slope of not less than 100 millimeters in 300 millimeters, the clearance may not be
more than 1.00 meter.
4. Service entrance conductors extending along the exterior or entering buildings or other
structures shall be installed in rigid steel conduit or concrete encased plastic conduit from
point of service drop to meter base and from meter base to the disconnecting equipment.
5. Emergency Power Systems- Shall provide electric power for the safety to life and
property when normal electric power supply is interrupted.
6. All mechanical systems, equipment and installations mentioned in the Code shall
conform to the provisions of the Philippine Mechanical Code, as adopted by the Board of
Mechanical Engineering pursuant to RA 8594 as amended, otherwise known as the
Philippine Mechanical Engineering Law.
7. Hoistway pits shall be of such depth that when the car rests on the fully compressed
buffers, a clearance of not more than 600 millimeters remains between the underside of
the car and the bottom of the pit.
8. Minimum number of hoisting ropes shall be three (3) for traction elevators and two (2) for
drum type elevators.
9. Access shall be by means of an iron ladder or stairs when the room is more than 600
millimeters above the adjacent floor or roof surface. The angle of inclination of such
ladder or stairs shall not exceed 70° from the horizontal.
10. The width between balustrades shall not be less than 560 millimeters nor more than
1.20 meters. This width shall not exceed the width of the steps by more than 330
millimeters.
11. Two (2) check valves shall be provided between any feed pump and the boiler in
addition to the regular shut-off valve.
12. The effective temperature and relative humidity of the air to be used for comfortable
cooling shall be maintained at 18 °Celsius to 26 °Celsius and 50% to 60%, respectively,
with 4.60 to 7.60 meters per minute air movement within the living zone.