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Elevators vs Stairs Infographic

How Long Does it Take to Reach the Top of These Famous Structures

Taking the stairs is healthier, they say, but what about when you’ve got to go up 50 floors? In that case, you’ll be grateful for your elevator! Let’s compare how long it would take to climb vs take the elevator up some of the world’s tallest and most famous structures! Ordered by elevator speed, fastest to slowest.

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The 9 Layers of Elevator Heck Infographic

Elevators are wonderful – it’s the people that ride on them that can be a pain! When you’re in an elevator with one of these 9 types of people, every floor feels like an eternity. Drunk people, people who stand too close, people who bring too much onto the elevator with them…these are just a few of the worst people to share an elevator with! This infographic is a little dose of humor to ease the pain – when all else fails, just laugh!

The 9 Layers of Elevator Heck - Elevators.com - Infographic

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SkyDeck Airplane Seats Can Be Accessed by Elevator

SkyDeckPeople who like to look out the window when flying on an airplane may soon be able to have an even better view than the pilot. Windspeed, an American aerospace technology company, has developed SkyDeck. Passengers can sit inside a transparent bubble-like canopy on top of the plane and look out as they fly through the sky.

Passengers can access the seats in the bubble by riding an elevator or climbing a set of stairs. Once they are seated in the canopy, passengers can rotate the single or twin seats up to 360 degrees. Windspeed says SkyDeck can be installed on aircraft with a variety of designs. It can be used with small private planes and wide-bodied commercial jets.

The canopy will be made of materials used in supersonic fighter jets that can withstand bird strikes and other stresses. It will have an aerodynamic teardrop shape to reduce drag. The canopy will be coated with anti-condensation film and a UV-protection coating.

Windspeed developed SkyDeck to improve entertainment on long flights. The company said it was inspired by the fact that in-flight entertainment options have not changed much in several decades. Windspeed says SkyDeck can provide passengers with experiential in-flight entertainment. It might also be used to generate revenue on commercial flights by charging passengers to ride in the seats on a pay-per-view basis.

The SkyDeck patent is pending. It has not been subjected to practical tests, but Windspeed believes the design is viable and will not affect the airplane’s handling. There is no estimate on when SkyDeck might be available to the public.

Recent Innovations in Elevator Technology

elevator technologyWhen people think about transportation infrastructure, they tend to think of roads, bridges, and railways. Vertical transportation is becoming increasingly important as cities expand. There have been several technological innovations in recent years.

The Shanghai New World Daimaru Store has the largest spiral escalator in the world. The system is located in the shopping mall’s main atrium and extends up six stories. It consists of 12 escalators arranged in a helix. Mitsubishi Electric, which designed the system, has been producing spiral escalators for 30 years. It uses customized chains that can respond to movement angles to produce smooth, consistent motion and can adjust the center of the spiral to maintain a consistent speed.

A sustainable social housing project in Reze, France will have a solar powered elevator from Otis. The Gen2 Switch elevator will get over 80 percent of its power from four solar panels on the roof of the Les Bouderies housing project. It will be able to make up to 100 trips during a blackout by using energy from solar-powered batteries.

One World Trade Center will have 71 elevators from ThyssenKrupp. Five super-fast elevators can transport passengers to the observation deck at speeds of up to 37 kilometers per hour, reaching the 102nd floor in as little as a minute. The elevators can reduce noise and minimize vibrations.

ThyssenKrupp has also developed multi-directional elevators that use a magnetic motor to travel both laterally and vertically. The elevators travel through a system of horizontal and vertical loop structures. This could dramatically increase elevator efficiency and convenience and save space.

Thoth Technology, a Canadian company, patented a design for an inflatable space elevator that would rise 20 kilometers from the Earth’s surface. It would have a free-standing tower made from Kevlar-polyethylene tubes held in place with helium. Cars could transport cargo and people from the Earth to a platform at the summit.

Kone Opens 235-Meter Elevator Test Tower in China

Kone elevator test towerElevator maker Kone recently opened one of the tallest elevator test towers in the world. The 36-story tower is located at the Kone Park manufacturing site, engineering facility, and research and development center in the Kunshan New and Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone in China.

The tower contains 12 elevator shafts reaching 235.6 meters high. They can be reconfigured to test new high-rise elevators and components.

The Kunshan tower is the tallest of Kone’s eight testing facilities spread around the world. Its underground testing facility in Tytyri, Finland is 305 meters deep. It allows Kone to test elevators at speeds up to 17 meters per second, which is not possible anywhere else. The maximum speed at the Kunshan tower is 15 meters per second.

The tower also contains several permanent features. A high-speed elevator transports visitors to a sky lobby and showroom at a speed of 10 meters per second. It is the first double-decker elevator in the world to use Kone UltraRope super-light cable.

Kone developed the tower to promote research and development in mid- and high-rise elevator technology. The company hopes to further strengthen its position in the Chinese elevator market and deliver new products faster.

The R&D team in Kunshan works closely with researchers in Finland. The new tower is expected to bring the two units closer together and help them better serve the European and Asian markets.

Kone began operating in China in 1996. The Kone Park in Kunshan was opened in 2013 and is now Kone’s largest manufacturing unit in the world. Kone employs over 13,000 people at 500 locations throughout China. It is a leader in China in terms of new elevator and escalator orders.

The Ups and Downs of Elevator Maintenance

elevator maintenanceElevators are often taken for granted, but they need regular maintenance in order to function properly. A well-maintained elevator can generally last about 25 years, but some parts may need to be replaced periodically.

Even if the elevator is well-maintained, it may eventually be necessary to complete an overhaul or to replace the equipment. Modification to an existing system is referred to as a modernization and can be full or partial. If new rails are added to an existing elevator or a new elevator is installed from the ground up, the project is considered new construction.

It is always better to be proactive with maintenance than to be reactive and only respond to problems. Elevators should be inspected annually by certified professionals.

In New York City, the Department of Buildings’ Elevator Division oversees all elevator replacement projects. The division reviews proposals, issues permits, and conducts safety tests and inspections.

Total elevator replacement may be required if parts are no longer available, if the equipment has far exceeded its life expectancy, or if the repairs required to make the elevator comply with codes make it more cost-effective to replace the elevator.

The way in which old equipment is shut down, dismantled, and removed varies depending on the size and scope of the building and its elevator. In most cases, the hoistway is secured to prevent any unintended movement. Then the controller, driving machine, and door equipment are dismantled and removed. In some cases, it is necessary to remove machine room walls or ceilings to gain access to the old equipment. Many buildings have a “scuttle hole” in the equipment room so workers can remove old equipment through a lower floor and hoist in new equipment. Cranes may also be positioned on building roofs to help with construction.

When a new elevator is installed, it is followed by the controller. It is wired to put the elevator in a temporary run position so workers can manually move it in the hoistway. Then the elevator is fully wired to the new controller for automatic use. The elevator must be tested by the inspector and any relevant agencies under a full load condition. After the elevator receives a certificate of occupancy, it is ready for passenger use.

The cost to modernize or replace an elevator can vary widely. It depends on many factors, including the size of the building, its location, the equipment, and the cab finishes chosen.

If elevator maintenance is needed, building administrators and board members are required to inform residents in advance and to keep them updated as the project progresses. Some building managers choose an accelerated scheduled to minimize disruptions.

Scientists Might Be Able to Build a Diamond Space Elevator

space elevator diamondsHumans traveling to space have traditionally needed to have supplies sent to them from Earth. This requires the launching of rockets to space, which is very costly. Scientists around the world have been working on designing an elevator to transport humans and cargo to space.

The space elevator concept calls for a 60,000-mile cable anchored at the Earth’s equator and extending up into space. Gravity at the lower end and centrifugal force at the upper end would hold the cable in place and allow vehicles to travel into space without the need for rockets. Creating a material that is strong enough and could be made into a long enough cable has been a challenge.

One design that may seem far-fetched but might be feasible involves using diamonds. Researchers at Penn State University discovered that applying enormous pressure to benzene with a machine called a Paris-Edinburgh device produced tiny diamond nanothreads, or chains of atoms made of the same carbon crystals that make up diamonds and are just as strong.

So far, the diamond nanothreads have only been produced by the lab at Penn State. It is unclear whether scientists would be able to mass produce them. There are also concerns that the nanothreads could get brittle as they become longer.

A team at Queensland University of Technology recently completed a modeling study that showed that inserting molecular defects into a repetitive benzene ring structure of a diamond nanothread causes the fiber to become highly ductile. The researchers believe that the right molecular design could allow them to create extremely strong three-dimensional nano-architectures. The structures could potentially be used in many applications, including nanotechnology, electronics, and possibly even a space elevator.

The Benefits of Using an Elevator Access Control System

elevator access controlElevator access control systems grant certain people access to specific floors in a building at predetermined times. Systems can control various numbers of elevators, depending on the control panel that is chosen. This can improve a business’s security and reduce costs.

An identification device can be issued to each person who works in the facility to grant access to specific floors within the building. Elevator access can be integrated with CCTV cameras to see who is attempting to use elevators to access various floors.

Elevator access can be granted or denied based on the user’s classification, the time of day, the elevator the person is attempting to use, and the armed state of a department. The status of a zone can be changed to grant or deny access. Elevator access control systems can be created that are both flexible and secure.

A company’s staff can change frequently. Employees can lose keys or not turn them in when their employment ends. By assigning each person a proximity card or key fob, an individual device can be removed from the system, which eliminates the need to change the locks in each elevator.

Many businesses require a supervisor to be present before other employees are allowed into the building. An elevator access control system can be set up so that only supervisors can disarm elevators and allow other personnel access.

Different departments can operate on different schedules. An access control system can allow access to individual elevators only at specific times.

The general public needs to be kept out of restricted areas. This can be accomplished by automatically locking and unlocking lobby elevators at specific times.

Employing guards to protect a business can be expensive. Using an elevator access control system, intercoms, and cameras can reduce the need for guards and lower costs.

ThyssenKrupp Builds Model of Multi Ropeless Elevator

ThyssenKrupp Multi elevatorsThyssenKrupp announced a year ago that it was developing the Multi elevator system, which has multiple cabins per shaft that are moved with linear motors instead of ropes. It allows cabins to move horizontally and could dramatically change the way people travel in buildings.

Multi operates with a multi-level brake system and inductive power that is transferred from the shaft to the cabin. Several self-propelled cabins can operate in a loop, similar to a subway system. This can increase shaft capacity by up to 50 percent, which would make it possible to reduce the elevator footprint in buildings by up to half.

Since it requires smaller shafts than conventional elevators, Multi could increase a building’s usable area by up to 25 percent. ThyssenKrupp believes this is important since elevators and escalators currently take up as much as 40 percent of a building’s floor space, depending on its height.

Due to the increased efficiency of the elevator system, Multi could reduce the need for escalators and additional elevator shafts. This could significantly reduce construction costs and increase rent revenues, since more usable space would be available.

There are currently over 180 buildings under construction around the world that will be over 250 meters tall. About 50 are completed every year. There are also about 800 buildings under construction that will be over 150 meters.

ThyssenKrupp has created a 1:3 scale model at its Innovation Center in Gijon, Spain. The model has two 10-meter shafts with four cabins that move in a loop. It uses linear motor technology based on the system used in Transrapid magnetic levitation trains. CEO Andreas Schierenbeck said ThyssenKrupp is on track to make Multi a reality.

A Brief History of Elevators

history of elevatorsElevators are common features in buildings around the world, but most people don’t give much thought to how they work or how they came to be ubiquitous. Elevators are fascinating pieces of technology with a long history.

Primitive elevators powered by water wheels, animals, or people were invented around 300 BC. This type of elevator was used for almost 2,000 years.

The first human-powered, counter-weighted, personal elevator was built in 1743 for King Louis XV of France. It connected his apartment in Versailles to that of his mistress, Madame de Chateauroux, who lived one floor above him.

Elevator technology began to advance significantly in the 19th century. Many elevators were powered by steam and became important in the Industrial Revolution to allow people to transport heavy materials in warehouses, mines, and factories.

In 1823, two architects, Burton and Hormer, built an “ascending room” to give tourists a panoramic view of London. In 1835, Frost and Stutt, who were also architects, built the “Teagle,” a steam- and belt-driven and counter-weighted elevator, in England.

In 1846, Sir William Armstrong invented the hydraulic crane. The system was supported by a heavy piston that moved in a cylinder and was powered by oil or water pressure inside the pump. These lifts began to replace steam-powered elevators by the 1870s.

Elisha Otis, an American inventor, demonstrated a new safety device in 1853 that could prevent an elevator from crashing if a cable broke. This increased the public’s confidence in elevators. Otis created an elevator manufacturing company in 1853 and obtained a patent for a steam elevator in 1861. His invention of an elevator brake made it possible to build skyscrapers. His company began to manufacture passenger elevators in 1857. The first steam-powered elevator was installed in Manhattan in the five-store E.W. Haughtwhat & Co. store.

Electric elevators became more common in the late 19th century. German inventor Werner von Siemens created the first electric elevator in 1880. Alexander Miles patented his electric elevator in 1887.