Machine Room-less Elevator Support Beam Load Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machine room-less elevators have increased rail sizes and costs due to the need for additional load-bearing beams that complicate integration with architectural structures, making it difficult to reduce apparatus costs and optimize architectural design.
Innovation Solution
A machine room-less elevator design where a support beam assembly bears the loads of the car, counterweight, rope, and hoisting machine, supported on a top-story floor beam assembly of the architectural structure, allowing for downsized rails and reduced apparatus costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the rails bear the load of the elevator, then the machine room-less elevator can avoid dependence on building side and achieve precise positioning, but the sizes of the rails are increased and the cost ratio of the rails to the elevator is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is extracted from the rails and transferred to the architectural structure's beam. The rails are removed from the load-bearing system entirely, allowing them to be downsized to only provide guidance and positioning functions, thus reducing their size and cost while maintaining independence from building structure modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The load-bearing responsibility is shifted from the vertical rail system to the horizontal architectural beam system. This dimensional transfer allows the rails to focus solely on their original positioning function without the burden of carrying elevator loads, enabling significant size reduction.
2Strength
If an additional beam is arranged to bear the load of the elevator, then the load can be properly supported, but it becomes difficult to directly join the beam onto the architectural structure
Solution Approach 1:
The architectural structure's existing beam is made multi-functional by having it bear both its original structural load and the additional elevator load. This eliminates the need for separate dedicated load-bearing beams and simplifies integration with the architectural structure, as the beam already exists and is designed to carry loads.
3Weight of stationary object
If the rails are downsized to reduce cost, then the apparatus cost is reduced, but the load-bearing capacity must be transferred elsewhere
Solution Approach 1:
The architectural structure's beam serves itself by bearing both its original structural load and the elevator load. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex additional support systems, as the existing structure is utilized to its full capacity, thereby reducing overall system complexity despite the functional transfer.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine room-less elevator includes a car configured to ascend and descend in a hoistway of an architectural structure, a counter weight configured to ascend and descend reversely to the car, a rope configured to suspend the car and the counter weight, and a hoisting machine configured to drive the rope. A support beam assembly, which is configured to bear not a load of the architectural structure but at least loads of the car, the counter weight, the rope, and the hoisting machine, is supported on a top-story floor beam assembly of the architectural structure.