Vertical Transportation: A Glossary

Packed full of terms & illustrations to assist you!

Acceleration

A period during which the elevator moves at an ever increasing rate of speed, usually referring to the period from standstill to full speed.

Alternating Current

AC - An electrical current that continuously cycles through a series of positive and negative values.

Anchor bolts

Bolt designed to fasten rail brackets, door sills, headers or other objects to beams or hoistway walls.

Application

Geared, Gearless or Hydraulic. These different types of elevators may be used for different applications.

For example, a three-story medical office building will typically utilize hydraulic elevators whereas tall, busy office buildings may require the speeds available with the use of gearless traction elevators. Hydraulic elevators operate at slower speeds and serve up to 79’-0” of travel. Geared traction elevators typically serve mid-rise buildings with speeds up to 500 feet per minute. Gearless traction elevators can serve buildings of any height with speeds of 500 feet per minute and higher.

Astragal

Rubber molding on the leading edge of car and hoistway doors. It is furnished to quiet the operation of the doors as they reach their fully closed position.

Auxiliary Panel

A second car operating station, typically containing only floor buttons. The auxiliary panel may be used at the rear return with Front and Rear door configurations. It may also be used with center opening doors where a car operating station is desired on each side of the door opening.

Baked enamel finishes available

White No. F-116		Antique white No. F-115		Rich cream No. F-101		Desert sand No. F-106
Fawn No. F-808		Dusty rose No. F-103		Nordic blue No. F-102		Williams- burg blue No. F-111
Wine No. F-104		Cedar brown No. F-105		Sable No. F-909		Black No. F-112

Basement /Adjacent Machine room

The traction elevator machine is placed either in the basement or adjacent to the hoistway at an upper floor, rather than directly overhead as standard

Bolster assembly

The bottom horizontal member of a hydraulic car sling, to which the platen plate attaches.

Brace Rod

A rod extending from the elevator platform framing to another part of the elevator car frame or sling for the purpose of supporting the platform or holding it securely in position. Brace robs are supports for the outer corners of the platform, each of which tie to upper portions of the stile.

Brackets (Guide Rail)

The steel plates, angles, or beams used to attach the rails firmly to the hoistway.

Brake

A spring loaded clamping device that prevents the elevator from moving when the car is at rest and no power is applied to the hoistway motor.

Brake Drum

A round, machined surface on the motor shaft which the brake clams for stopping.

Building Type

Required to determine the requirements for service.

For example, an office building typically requires more elevators than an apartment building due to heavier loads & traffic. Elevator professionals often use building type to assist in recommending solutions based on different types of building traffic.

Buffer

A device designed to stop a descending car or counterweight beyond its normal limit and to soften the force with which the elevator runs into the pit during an emergency.

Buffer channel	A channel in the pit floor of a traction elevator that supports buffers and guide rails.
Buffer springs	Large diameter springs that are permanently placed in a traction elevator pit for the purpose of stopping a descending car or counterweight beyond its normal limit of travel.
Buffer stroke	The distance that a buffer will compress.

Cab

The decorative enclosure on a passenger elevator platform in which people are carried.

Cab walls

Flat steel wall cab – constructed of steel to create a flat cab interior. Basic options include a baked enamel finish from our standard selection as shown below. Other available options are brushed, polished or 5WL patterned stainless steel.

Laminated plastic cab – walls of wood core construction, faced with decorative high-pressure plastic laminate, as selected from our standard range of choices. Custom laminates may be selected; additional charges will apply. Please contact your local ThyssenKrupp Elevator representative for a full-color Design with Style plastic laminate selector.

Applied panel cab - Cab walls constructed of steel with applied decorative panels. Panels may be finished from our standard selections of plastic laminate or wood veneer. Wood veneer finishes include Cherry, Walnut, Red Oak, Honduras Mahogany and Maple.

Also available are brushed & polished stainless or bronze, as well as 5WL patterned stainless steel.

Cables

Ropes, usually 4 to 6 in number, used to support the car. Ropes pass over the drive sheave to the counterweight, either pulling up the car or lowering it.

Cable Wrap

The amount of the drive sheave actually in contact with the cable.

Calculated Interval

Measured in seconds, this is the time between elevator departures from the lobby during morning up peak. An interval of 30 seconds means that a car will be leaving the lobby every 30 seconds with a load of passengers. Traditional elevator theory can be used to show that the interval is equal to the calculated round trip time divided by the number of elevators.

Calculated 5 Minute
  Handling Capacity

The number of people that can be transported from the lobby in a five minute period, expressed as a percentage of the population. Elevator systems with a handling capacity of 12% can handle incoming passenger traffic up to a rate of 12% before lobby crowding occurs. Although traffic handling capacity guidelines have been debated for years, typically this measurement is an estimate of how many people arrive to use the elevators during the heaviest five minutes of morning rush hour.

Capacity

The load rating, measured in pounds, for which an elevator is designed and powered. The actual weight on the elevator should never exceed its rated capacity.

Car call

Indication of the passenger's destination floor as entered from the car operating station by pushing the corresponding floor push button.

Car operating panel, car station

A panel mounted in the car containing the car operating controls, such as call register (floor) buttons, door open and close, alarm, emergency stop, and any other buttons or keyswitches that may be required for operation.

Car riding lantern

A signal fixture mounted in the return & strike columns, or in the soffitt, of the car's entrance to provide visual and audible indication that a car has arrived and its next direction of travel.

Ceiling types

Suspended ceiling (diffused lighting) – Included as ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s standard design, this ceiling has white translucent diffusers for the fluorescent lighting. Standard metal frame is black baked enamel. It is also available in aluminum, stainless steel or bronze finishes.

Disc light ceiling – These metal ceiling panels have circular cutouts with translucent diffusers for the fluorescent lighting. The panels are available in baked enamel, stainless steel or bronze finishes. The standard metal frame is baked enamel with upgrade design to stainless steel or bronze finishes..

Incandescent Downlight ceiling – Metal pan downlight ceiling with multiple low voltage lights mounted in baked enamel, stainless steel 5WL, or bronze finish ceiling panels.

Halogen Downlight ceiling – Metal pan downlight ceiling with halogen lighting that brilliantly illuminates the cab while using fewer bulbs than incandescent, requiring less maintenance. Lights are mounted in baked enamel, stainless steel, 5WL, or bronze finish ceiling panels.

Coved light ceiling – Ceiling is constructed of painted steel panelized sections, which forms the car tops, and wall mounted painted steel troughs. Fluorescent light fixtures are mounted to the side walls and concealed above the troughs. The car top is available in baked enamel or stainless steel finishes. Troughs are available in baked enamel, stainless steel, 5WL, or bronze finishes.

Island type halogen downlight ceiling – Featuring small halogen downlights, this ceiling is constructed of a particleboard core faced with plastic laminate, stainless steel or bronze. The ceiling houses a concealed emergency exit as well as concealed metal framework.

Floating (island) perimeter lighting – This ceiling is constructed of a particleboard core faced with plastic laminate, stainless steel or bronze. Indirect lighting is provided by four fluorescent fixtures mounted above the ceiling. The ceiling houses a concealed emergency exit as well as concealed metal framework.

Clips, Rail

Special clip designed to fasten guide rails to guide rail brackets; clamps rails firmly in place.

Clutch

A device mounted on the car door which pulls the hoistway doors as the car door moves open or closed.

Code, ASME

System of regulations pertaining to design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of elevators.

Conventional Jack

The type of hydraulic elevator mechanism whose cylinder must be installed in the ground. Major components of a conventional jack system are shown in the diagram below:

Column

The vertical sections of the car's entrance frame.

Compensation

Using ropes, chain or other design to counterbalance transfer of hoist rope weight from one side of the hoisting machine to the other as the car moves within the hoistway.

Compensating chain

Welded-link chain used to compensate the weight of hoist rope. One end of the chain attaches under the elevator and one end is fastened to the counterweight.

Compensating rope

Wire roping installed to obtain hoist rope weight compensation. Again, one end attached to the underside of the car and one end fastens to the counterweight.

Control Valve

The device which on hydraulic elevators controls the oil flow to and from the jack.

Controller

An electrical panel which performs many computer functions by which it operates an elevator.

Corner Post

A method of mounting rails in opposite corners of the hoistway, usually to accommodate doors in adjacent hoistway walls.

Counterweight

Added weight on traction elevators which counterbalances the weight of an elevator car plus approximately 40% of the capacity load. The traction car & counterweight diagrams is shown below:

Counterweight fillers

Metal pieces stacked and bolted together within a frame to form the counterweight.

Crosshead

The upper member of the car frame.

Deceleration

A period during which the elevator moves at an ever decreasing rate of speed, usually referring to the period from full speed to leveling speed.

Direct Current (DC)

An electrical current that flows constantly in one direction.

Doors - Biparting

Protective devices for hoistway openings of freight elevators consisting of two steel panels which move vertically and counterweight each other.

Doors - Center Opening

A door type which consists of two horizontal sliding panels which move in opposite directions.

Doors - Horizontal Sliding

Entrance protection for both car and hoistway (usually for passenger elevators) which moves sideways. Available as single-slide or double-slide.

Door Gibs

Devices at the bottom of horizontal sliding door panels which stick into sill grooves and hold the door panels in alignment.

Door hanger

Rolling assembly fastened to the top of the door panel. Supports and allows horizontal sliding movement of the door panel. The door track is part of the hanger assembly.

Door interlock

Prevents the operation on the machine unless the hoistway door is locked in a closed position, Also prevents the opening of hoistway doors from the landing side unless the elevator is in the landing zone and is either stopped or coming to a stop.

Door Operator