LECTURE 14-15: USING ESCALATORS IN A BUILDING

MECHANICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

BRAC UNIVERSITY
MEE 344
 Teachers

Mohammad Faruk, PhD Mohammad Zillur Rahman

Associate Professor, Lecturer,
Email: mfaruk@bracu.ac.bd Email: zillur.rahman@bracu.ac.bd
Consultation Hours: Consultation Hours: Sunday, 4:10 -
5:05 pm

LECTURE 5: MECHANICAL VENTILATION

 ▪ Introduction to escalators
▪ Traffic Handling Capacity
Content
▪ Arrangement and location
▪ Space requirement
▪ Safety devices
Introduction:

An escalator is a continuously running, unidirectional vehicle

Pairs of escalators are necessary for two way service

Escalators have been traditionally popular in places with heavy traffic

i.e. stores, passenger terminal, office, banks, exhibition halls

Can make the basement or 2nd floor of a building as attractive as a street level floor

If escalators are primary means of vertical transportation in a building, they should be

supplemented by one or more elevators

Why?

Source: google images, (2020)

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Source: google images, (2020)
PROPER INCLINATION:

Escalators
Inclinations of 30° and 35° are the common
international standard for escalators.

30° inclination
This inclination provides the highest traveling comfort and maximum
safety for the user.

35° inclination
The 35° escalator is the most efficient solution as it requires less space
and can be implemented more cost-effectively. However, this inclination
is perceived as too steep if rises exceed 5 m – particularly in downward
travel. According to EN 115, a 35° inclination is not permissible with
rises of more than 6 m. This inclination is not permitted in countries that
stipulate the US ANSI standard.

Moving walks
Inclinations of 10°, 11° and 12° are the common international standard
for inclined moving walks. Users find that a 10° inclination provides the
most comfortable ride. A 12° inclination is used whenever the space
available is limited. Horizontal moving walks can generally be provided
for inclinations between 0° and 6°.
Source: google images, (2020)
TRAFFIC HANDLING CAPACITY:

Traffic handling capacity of escalators are rated in two ways:

-By nominal width at hip level

-By speed in cm/sec

Usual speed of escalators along the incline

are either 0.45 m/s or 0.6 m/s

Nominal angle of incline is 30 degrees

Nominal width at the hip level are 81.28cm

or 121.92 cm

Source: google images, (2020)

TRAFFIC HANDLING CAPACITY:

Two speed operation of some escalator models

Escalator capacities are expressed in no of passengers per hour.

Can range between 5000 – 10000 person per hour

Source: google images, (2020)

ESCALATOR SPEED:

Optimal speed 0.75 m/s for

extreme transportation capacity
Speed not only has a considerable impact on the potential Although speeds up to 0.75 m/s (escalators) and up to 0.9 m/s (moving
transportation capacity of escalators and moving walks, but it also walks) are possible, they are not recommended as the effective
influences the space requirements. The tables below summarize the transportation capacity will not increase any further and there is an
different product configurations depending on speed. increased danger of children or elderly people tripping or falling in the
landing areas.
0.5 m/s for continuous customer flow
This is the optimal speed for all escalators and moving walks in the
commercial sector. The combination of sufficient transportation
capacity, optimal safety and minimum space requirement makes this
speed the worldwide standard for this application.

0.6 or 0.65 m/s for

intermittent transportation requirements
This speed is recommended for intermittent passenger arrivals, as at
railway stations or subway stations. It has also proved effective at trade
fair centers. Longer horizontal runs and larger transition curves are
required at these speeds to guarantee optimal safety and loading factor
of the escalator/
moving walk.

Source: google images, (2020)

ARRANGEMENT AND LOCATION:

Location and arrangement of escalators depend on a

number of factors:
-Convenience in circulation
-Impressiveness in appearance
-Structural soundness

Normally escalators are located centrally in

a building or space……………………Why?

Source: google images, (2020)

ARRANGEMENT AND LOCATION:
Single unit
Arrangement of escalators and moving walks The single unit is used to connect two levels. It is suitable for
buildings with passenger traffic flowing mainly in one direction.
1. Single unit Flexible adjustment to traffic flow (e.g., up in the morning and
2. Continuous arrangement (one-way traffic) down in the evening) is possible.
3. Interrupted arrangement (one-way traffic)
4. Parallel, interrupted arrangement (two-way traffic) Continuous arrangement (one-way traffic)
5. Crisscross, continuous arrangement (two-way traffic) This arrangement is used mainly in smaller department stores
to link three sales levels. It requires more space than the
interrupted arrangement.

Source: google images, (2020)

ARRANGEMENT AND LOCATION:

Source: google images, (2020)

ARRANGEMENT AND LOCATION:

Interrupted arrangement (one-way traffic)

While relatively inconvenient for the user, for the owner
of the department store it provides the advantage
that due to the spatial separation of the upward and
downward directions, customers have to walk past
specially placed merchandise displays.

Parallel, interrupted arrangement (two-way traffic)

This arrangement is used mainly in department stores
and public transportation buildings with heavy traffic
volumes. When there are three or more escalators
or moving walks, it should be possible to reverse the
direction of travel depending on the traffic flow.

Crisscross, continuous arrangement

(two-way traffic)
This type of installation is the one used most frequently
as it allows customers to travel quickly to the upper
floors without any waiting time. Depending on how
the escalators are positioned, the store fitter can
open up the view onto the shop floor to stimulate
customer interest in the goods on display.
Source: google images, (2020)
ARRANGEMENT AND LOCATION:

Parallel arrangement is impressive in appearance

when multiple escalators are used

Disadvantage: upward/downward passengers may

Cause crowding at entry/exit point

Source: google images, (2020)

ARRANGEMENT AND LOCATION:

Criss-cross arrangement separates upward

and downward movement

Most preferred in big stores because:

-Min floor space requirement

-Min structural requirement
-Max exposure of passengers to
merchandise on various floors
-Reduction in intermingling of passengers

Source: google images, (2020)

ESCALATOR COMPONENTS:

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ESCALATOR COMPONENTS:

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STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENT:

Source: google images, (2020)

SAFETY DEVICES:

Extremely safe! Or not?

All side surfaces are smooth
Handrails are designed so that fingers do not get caught
under them
Top and bottom comb plates provide safe transfer to and
from moving steps
A service brake is mounted on the motor shaft
Emergency brake incorporated in the system

Source: google images, (2020)

Source: google images, (2020)
CATEGORIES OF ACCIDENTS:

Based on the Venn diagram, seven categories of accidents can be

identified:

1. Accidents caused solely by poor design (including location and

environment).
2. Accidents caused solely by poor maintenance, lack of inspection or
bad operation.
3. Accidents caused solely by passenger behavior.
4. Accidents caused by the combination of poor design and poor
maintenance/inspection/operation.
5. Accidents caused by the combination of poor design and passenger
behavior.
6. Accidents caused by the combination of poor
maintenance/inspection/operation and passenger behavior.
7. Accidents caused by a combination of all three factors.

Source: google images, (2020)

ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION OF THEORY:

The theoretical capacity of an escalator, assuming that two people We know that:
stand on every step and that the escalator is travelling at 43.2 metres v = 43.2 meters/minute,
per minute, is 216 ppm. This section deals with the reasons why this is D = 0.40 meters,
never achieved.
And assuming:
Capacity of the standing side of an escalator qs = 0.50
In this section only half of the escalator is dealt with, that half where - assuming that on average people stand on every other step.
people stand only. An estimate is found for the capacity of the escalator,
although it should be appreciated that there is a necessity for a certain Capacity, Cs = 54.00 ppm.
amount of queuing before capacity will be reached.
Therefore, capacity of the standing side of an escalator will be
v = speed of escalator (meters/minute) roughly 54 people.
D = depth of an escalator step (this is the distance from the front to the
back of a step, not the height.)
qs = proportion of steps used whilst standing

Steps per minute, Ss = v/D - the number of steps passing a point on

the escalator each minute.

Capacity per minute, Cs = Ss*qs - the number of people passing a point

on the escalator each minute.

Source: google images, (2020)

ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION OF THEORY:

The theoretical capacity of an escalator, assuming that two people We know that:
stand on every step and that the escalator is travelling at 43.2 metres v = 43.2 meters/minute,
per minute, is 216 ppm. This section deals with the reasons why this is D = 0.40 meters,
never achieved.
And assuming:
Capacity of the walking side of an escalator u = 36 meters/minute, and
Here, an estimate is found for the capacity of the walking side of an qw = 0.33
escalator, although it should be appreciated that there is a necessity for - assuming that on average people require three steps
a certain amount of queuing for the walking side before capacity will be each to walk up.
reached.
Capacity, Cs = 66.00 people per minute.
u = speed at which passengers walk up escalator
qw = proportion of steps used whilst walking Therefore, capacity of the walking side of an escalator will be
roughly 66 people. Total capacity, including both standing and
Effective speed of the escalator = v+u - As people are walking, the walking sides, will be approximately 120 people per minute
effective speed at which they are walking.

Effective steps per minute, Sw = (v+u)/D - the effective number of steps

is similarly increased.

Capacity per minute, Cw = Sw* qw - the number of people passing a

point on the escalator each minute.
Source: google images, (2020)
 THANK YOU
NEXT LECTURE:

LECTURE 4: Mechanical Ventilation

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