ESCALATORS AND ITS

DESIGN CRITERIA

BUILDING SERVICES
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INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION: An escalator is a moving staircase –

a conveyor transport device for carrying
people between floors of a building.

• The device consists of a motor-driven chain of

individual, linked steps that move up or
down on tracks, allowing the step treads to
remain horizontal.

• Principal areas of usage include department

stores, shopping malls, airports, transit
systems, convention centers, hotels, and
public buildings.
BENEFITS:
• Large handling capacity.
• Require virtually the same space as staircase.
• No waiting interval (except during very heavy
traffic),
• Can be weatherproofed for outdoor use.
TERMINOLOGY
1. Escalator
Power-driven installation with endless moving stairway
for the conveyance of passengers in the upward or
downward direction.
2. Passenger conveyor, travelators, moving walkways
Power-driven installation with endless moving walkway
for the conveyance of passengers, either on the same or
between different traffic levels.
3. Skirting
Portion of the enclosure adjacent to the outer edges of
the steps, pallets or belt.
4. Interior profile
This profile connects the skirting with the balustrade
interior panelling.
5. Balustrade interior panelling
Interior panels between the skirting or the interior
profile and the balustrade decking underneath
the handrail.
6. Balustrade decking
This decking is situated underneath the handrail and
forms the top cover of the balustrade panelling.
7. Newel
End of the balustrade on the landings, where the
handrails change their direction of movement.
TERMINOLOGY
8. Comb
Parts which, at both landings, mesh with the steps, pallets or
the belt in order to facilitate the
transition of passengers.

9. Deflector device
An additional device to minimize the risk of trapping
between the step and the skirting.

10. Rated speed

Speed in the direction of the moving steps, pallets or the
belt, when operating the equipment under no load
condition, stated by the manufacturer as that for which the
escalator or passenger conveyor has been designed and at
which it should operate.

11. Angle of inclination

Maximum angle to the horizontal in which the steps, the
pallets or the belt move.

12. Antislide devices:

Raised circular objects that often stud the escalator
balustrade. Sometimes informally called "hockey pucks" due
to their appearance, their purpose is to prevent objects (and
people) from precipitously sliding down the otherwise
smooth metallic surface.
TERMINOLOGY

13. Combplate impact switches:

Stop the escalator if a foreign object gets caught between the steps and the combplate on either
end.

14. Deflector brush:

A long continuous brush made of stiff bristles running up the sides of the escalator just above
the step level. This helps deflect garments, shoes, and other items away from the gap between
the moving steps and the skirt board.

15. Emergency stop button:

At each end of the escalator (in some models, also on the balustrade), a large red button can be
pressed to stop the device in the event of an emergency. Typically, an alarmed transparent
plastic guardplate covers the button; restarting requires turning a key.

16. Extended balustrades:

Allows riders to grasp the handrail before setting foot on an escalator, to ease customer comfort
and stability/equilibrium.

17. Flat steps: Like a moving walkway, the first two or three steps at either end of the escalator
are flat. This gives the passenger extra time to orient him/herself when boarding, and more time
to maintain balance when exiting. Longer escalators often have four or more flat steps.
TERMINOLOGY
18. Handrail inlet switches: Sensors located at the bottom and top of the unit
that guard the handrail termini. If something gets caught in these locations, a
hard fault is generated in the controller, and the escalator shuts down
automatically.

19. Handrail speed sensors: These sensors are usually optical, and monitor how
fast the handrail moves. If the sensor notices a speed difference between the
handrail and the steps, it sounds an alarm, pauses, and then automatically stops
the escalator.

20. Missing step detectors: Depending on the manufacturer and model, this
sensor is either optical or physical. When a missing step is detected, the
escalator automatically shuts down.

21. Raised step edges: In some models, a difference in tread height is utilized to
keep passengers' feet from the skirt board.

23. Sensor switch: In automatic-start/stop escalators, this sensor automatically

engages the escalator motion when a rider is detected on the first step of the
entrance landing platform, and stops the escalator when there are no riders on
the unit.

13. Step demarcation lights: Either fluorescent or LED lights (traditionally green
in color) located inside the truss. The illumination between the steps improves
the passengers' awareness of the step divisions.
WORKING OF ESCALATOR

The core of an escalator is a pair of chains,

looped around two pairs of gears. An electric
motor turns the drive gears at the top, which
rotate the chain loops. A typical escalator uses a
100 horsepower motor to rotate the gears. The
motor and chain system are housed inside the
truss, a metal structure extending between two
floors.

Instead of moving a flat surface, as in a conveyer

belt, the chain loops move a series of steps. As
the chains move, the steps always stay level. At
the top and bottom of the escalator, the steps
collapse on each other, creating a flat platform.
This makes it easier to get on and off the
escalator.

Escalator speeds vary from about 90 feet per

minute to 180 feet per minute (27 to 55 meters
per minute). An escalator moving 145 feet (44 m)
per minute can carry more than 10,000 people an
hour -- many more people than a standard
elevator
COMPONENTS OF ESCALATOR

1. Top and bottom landing platforms

•These two platforms house the curved sections of the tracks, as well as the
gears and motors that drive the stairs.
•The top platform contains the motor assembly and the main drive gear,
while the bottom holds the step return idler sprockets. These sections also
anchor the ends of the escalator truss.
•In addition, the platforms contain a floor plate and a comb plate.
•The floor plate provides a place for the passengers to stand before they step
onto the moving stairs. This plate is flush with the finished floor and is either
hinged or removable to allow easy access to the machinery below.
•The comb plate is the piece between the stationary floor plate and the
moving step. It is so named because its edge has a series of cleats that
resemble the teeth of a comb. These teeth mesh with matching cleats on the
edges of the steps. This design is necessary to minimize the gap between the
stair and the landing, which helps prevent objects from getting caught in the
gap.
COMPONENTS OF ESCALATORS

2. The truss

The truss is a hollow metal structure that bridges the lower and
upper landings. It is composed of two side sections joined
together with cross braces across the bottom and just below the
top. The ends of the truss are attached to the top and bottom
landing platforms via steel or concrete supports. The truss carries
all the straight track sections connecting the upper and lower
sections.

3. The tracks
The track system is 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. There are actually two tracks:
one for the front wheels of the steps (called the step-wheel
track) and one for the back wheels of the steps (called the
trailer-wheel track). The relative positions of these tracks cause
the steps to form a staircase as they move out from under the
comb plate.
COMPONENTS OF ESCALATORS

4. The steps
The steps themselves are solid, one-piece, die-cast
aluminum. Rubber mats may be affixed to their surface to
reduce slippage, and yellow demarcation lines may be
added to clearly indicate their edges. The leading and
trailing edges of each step are cleated with comb-like
protrusions that mesh with the comb plates on the top
and bottom platforms. The steps are linked by a
continuous metal chain so they form a closed loop with
each step able to bend in relation to its neighbors. 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.
COMPONENTS

5. The railing
The railing provides a convenient handhold for passengers while
they are riding the escalator. It is constructed of four distinct
sections. At the center of the railing is a "slider," also known as a
"glider ply," which is a layer of a cotton or synthetic textile. The
purpose of the slider layer is to allow the railing to move smoothly
along its track. The next layer, known as the tension member,
consists of either steel cable or flat steel tape. It provides the
handrail with the necessary tensile strength and flexibility. On top
of tension member are the inner construction components, which
are made of chemically treated rubber designed to prevent the
layers from separating. Finally, the outer layer, the only part that
passengers actually see, is the rubber cover, which is a blend of
synthetic polymers and rubber. This cover is designed to resist
degradation from environmental conditions, mechanical wear and
tear, and human vandalism. When installed, the finished railing is
pulled along its track by a chain that is connected to the main
drive gear by a series of pulleys.
COMPONENTS AND THEIR STANDARDS

Handrails

Each balustrade shall be provided with a handrail moving in the same direction and at
substantially the same speed as the steps.
Each moving handrail shall extend at normal handrail height not less than 300 mm beyond the
line of points of combplate teeth at the upper and lower landings.
Hand or finger guards shall be provided at the points where the handrails enters the balustrade.
The width of the handrail shall be between 70 mm and 120 mm. The distance between the
handrail and the edge of the balustrade shall not exceed 50 mm.
The distance between centreline of handrails shall not exceed the distance between the
skirtings by more than 0.45 m.

Step Treads
The step depth in the direction of travel shall not be less than 0.38 m.
The surface of the step treads shall have grooves in the direction of movement, with which the
teeth of the combs mesh. They shall be sensibly horizontal in the usable area of the escalator.
The width of the grooves shall be at least 5 mm and
not exceed 7 mm. The depth of the grooves shall not be less than 10 mm. The web width shall
be at least 2.5 mm and not exceed 5 mm.
COMPONENTS AND THEIR STANDARDS

Landing
The landing area of escalators shall have a surface that provides a secure foot hold for a
minimum distance of 0.85 m measured from the root of the comb teeth.

Combplates
There shall be a combplate at the entrance and at the exit of every escalator. The combplate
teeth shall be meshed with and set into the slots in the tread surface
so that the points of the teeth are always below the upper surface of the treads. Combplates
shall be adjustable vertically.

Trusses or Girders
The truss or girder shall be designed to safety sustain the steps and running gear in operation.
In the event of failure of the track system it shall retain the running
gear in its guides.

Step, Wheel Tracks

This shall be designed to prevent displacement of steps and running gear if a step chain breaks.

Driving Machine, Motor and Brake

The driving machine shall be connected to the main drive shaft by toothed gearing, a coupling,
or a chain.
 An electric motor shall not drive more than one escalator.
COMPONENTS AND THEIR STANDARDS

Each escalator shall be provided with an electrically released, mechanically applied brake
capable of stopping the up or down traveling escalator with any load up to rated load. This brake
shall be located either on the driving machine or on the main drive shaft.
Where a chain is used to connect the driving machine to the main drive shaft, a brake shall be
provided on this shalt, it is not required that this brake be of the
electrically released type if an electrically released brake is provided on the driving machine.

Speed governor
Escalators shall be equipped in such a way that they stop automatically before the speed
exceeds 1.2 times the rated speed. Where speed control devices are used
for this purpose they shall have switched off the escalator before the speed exceeds 1.2 times
the rated speed. It is permissible to disregard this requirement
in case of a.c. motors with a non-friction comection with the drive for the steps and whose slip
does not exceed 10 percent if thereby overspeed is prevented.
PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS

GENERAL ASPECTS:

Physical Factors like the vertical and horizontal distance to be spanned must be considered.
These factors will determine the pitch of the escalator and its actual length. The ability of the
building infrastructure to support the heavy components is also a critical physical concern.
Location is important because escalators should be situated where they can be easily seen by
the general public. In department stores, customers should be able to view the merchandise
easily. Furthermore, up and down escalator traffic should be physically separated and should not
lead into confined spaces.
Traffic patterns must also be anticipated in escalator design. In some buildings, the objective is
simply to move people from one floor to another, but in others there may be a more specific
requirement, such as funneling visitors towards a main exit or exhibit.
 Number of passengers is important because escalators are designed to carry a certain
maximum number of people. The carrying capacity of an escalator system must match the
expected peak traffic demand, presuming that passengers ride single file. This is crucial for
applications in which there are sudden increases in the number of riders. For example, escalators
at stations must be designed to cater for the peak traffic flow discharged from a train, without
causing excessive bunching at the escalator entrance.
It is preferred that staircases be located adjacent to the escalator if the escalator is the primary
means of transport between floors. It may also be necessary to provide an elevator lift adjacent
to an escalator for wheelchairs and disabled persons.
Aesthetics : Consideration should be given to the aesthetics of the escalator. The architects and
designers can choose from a wide range of styles and colors for the handrails and balustrades.
PLANING AND DESIGN FACTORS : ESCALATORS

Design Aspects
• Speed: 0.5 and 0.65 m/s, up to 0.9-1.0 m/s on deep systems like subway
• Step widths: 600, 800 & 1000 mm; min. step or tread length = 400 mm
• Inclination: usually at angle 30 Degree
• 35 Degree if rise < 6 m & speed < 0.5 m/s
• Boarding and alighting areas : Safe boarding, 1.33 – 2.33 flat steps

Applications:
• Low- to medium-rise buildings
•Large no. of people e.g. airports, subway stations, department stores,
shopping malls
PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS

ESCALATOR ARRANGEMENT: Escalators are typically used for short range movement
between adjacent floors (the underground railway
• Parallel systems excepted). They are found in offices between
• Cross-over or criss-cross principal levels, in shops between trading floors, in
• Walkaround shopping
centres between malls • Parallel
and elsewhere such as railway
Escalators and moving walks should be stations, hospitals, museums etc. They are usually sited
placed in an in an obvious circulation path making it easy for
obvious circulation path. They should pedestrians to board them.
only be accessed
from adjacent corridors/ walkways,
landing and lobby areas, where people
do not obstruct other pedestrian
circulation routes. Space should be • Cross-over or criss-cross
available to accommodate
queuing at the boarding point. Again
the intention is to ensure that the
vertical and horizontal modes of
circulation can merge smoothly.

• Cross-over or criss-cross
PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS

ESCALATOR HANDLING CAPACITY:

N = (3600 x P x V x cos θ) / L
N = no. of persons moved per hour
P = no. of persons per step
V = escalator speed (m/s)
L = length of step (m)
θ = angle of incline

Ce = 60 V k s (persons/minutes)
V = speed along the incline (m/s)
k = average density of people (people/step)
s = number of escalator steps per metre

— 1000 mm: one person every step, k = 1.0

(density = 2.5 persons/m2);
— 800 mm: three persons every four steps, k = 0.75
(density = 2.3 persons/m2);
— 600 mm: one person every two steps, k = 0.5
(density = 2.1 persons/m2).
PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS

SAFETY ASPECTS
PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS

SAFETY ASPECTS

Safety is also major concern in escalator design. In India where women wear saris, there are
heavy chances of it getting entangled in the escalator, Special sari guard is inbuilt in most
escalators.

There is a risk of feet injuries for children wearing footwear such as Crocs and flip-flops that
might get caught in escalator mechanisms. This was due to the softness of the shoe's material
combined with the smaller size of children's feet.

Fire protection of an escalator floor opening may be provided by adding automatic sprinklers
or fireproof shutters to the opening, or by installing the escalator in an enclosed fire-
protected hall.

To limit the danger of overheating, ventilation for the spaces that contain the motors and
gears must be provided.
PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS

AESTHETIC ASPECTS

Escalators and moving walks are not enclosed like lifts and most of the equipment is in
the view of the public. They offer considerable scope to the designer by the imaginative
use of glass, cladding and polished metal finishes. Careful design of the lighting may
also enhance the appearance. However, consideration must also be given to the
following:
Coloured handrails require regular cleaning, using special materials, at least every two
weeks if the appearance is to be preserved. Black handrails are less attractive but more
practicable for public usage.
Where glass balustrades are installed close to a wall, rubbish will collect in the space
between the wall and the balustrade. This will be difficult and expensive to remove.
Stainless steel does not suffer damage by scratching from shoes, luggage etc. and is
therefore an appropriate material for intensive duty applications.
In some recent designs, the moving equipment is observable through glass cladding.
This is very effective when the escalator is lit internally, but the difficulties of cleaning
the glass (externally and internally) and the equipment must be considered.
Designs which create voids at the sides of the equipment or gaps between equipment
should be avoided as these present a risk of falling or entrapment to users.
PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS

NOISE AND VIBRATION

The location of escalators or moving walks should be such as to cause minimum noise disturbance.
The walls, floor and ceilings of machinery spaces and machine rooms should be designed to
substantially absorb the sound. Beams and structural members should not penetrate into occupied
areas.

FIRE PROTECTION
When fire protection systems, such as smoke detectors, sprinklers and shutters are required by the
relevant fire authority the owner should provide such equipment and any necessary interfaces and
arrange for the system to be tested. Fire shutters are provided by specialist subcontractors. When
such devices are installed it is necessary for the escalator or moving walk supplier to include control
interfaces to ensure their correct and safe operation.

ESCALATOR STEP WIDTHS AND ENERGY USAGE

PLANNING AND DESIGN FACTORS
INSTALLATION ASPECTS
CODAL STANDARDS:

NBC 2005 ( Part 8 Building Services, Section 5: Installation of Lifts and Escalators)

ANSI/ASME 17.1-1990 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators

Recommended handling capacities for design purposes should be taken as 3200 to 6400 persons per
hour depending upon the width of the escalator.

The theoretical capacity is:

3 600 x (rated speed in mh x k)/0.4 Where, k= 1,1.5, or2for0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 instep widths.

Angle of inclination of an escalator from the horizontal shall not exceed 30°, but for rises not
exceeding 6 m and rated speed not exceeding 0.5 m/s the angle of inclination is permitted to be
increased up to 35°.

The rated speed of the escalator shall not exceed 0.75 m/s for an angle of inclination up to 30° and
0.5 m/s for an escalator with an angle of inclination of more than 30° but within 35°.

For escalators arranged adjacent to one another either parallel or criss-cross the distance between
the edges of the handrails shall not be less than 120 mm.
 ESCALATOR USAGE:

References

i. http://www.mitsubishi-elevator.com/products/basic/escalators/z_type_es/pdf/japan_7001.pdf
ii. CIBSE Guide D
iii. National Building Code 2005
iv. Strakosch, George R. Vertical Transportation, Elevators and Escalators,
v. Bangash & Bangash. Lifts, Elevators, Escalators and Moving Walkways/Travelators
vi. http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escalator
vii. http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/escalator1.htm