Prefabricated Elevator Shaft Stability via Profiled Steel Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator systems require extensive on-site assembly, which is time-consuming and costly, especially when retrofitting existing buildings, and lack sufficient inherent stability to be self-supporting without fixed connections to the building.
Innovation Solution
A self-supporting elevator shaft design using a single, folded, and profiled thin-walled steel plate that is prefabricated with all necessary components, including the car, drive, and control system, allowing for complete prefabrication and reduced assembly time, with enhanced stability achieved through cold forming techniques and elimination of additional stiffening elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If traditional concrete or steel elevator shafts are constructed on-site, then structural stability is achieved, but construction time extends to several weeks
Solution Approach 1:
The elevator shaft is completely prefabricated at the factory including the shaft structure, cabin, suspension, drive mechanism, guides, and controls. This preliminary assembly allows the shaft to be constructed off-site with full structural stability, then transported and installed as a complete unit, reducing on-site assembly time from weeks to days while maintaining all necessary structural properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevator system is divided into a prefabricated shaft module that can be manufactured separately and transported to the installation site. This segmentation allows the complex shaft structure to be built in a controlled factory environment with full stability, then installed as a complete module, eliminating the need for lengthy on-site construction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the elevator shaft is retrofitted into an existing occupied building, then building access is maintained, but construction access becomes difficult and assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The entire elevator shaft is pre-assembled at the factory with all components (cabin, drive, guides) before transportation to the retrofit site. This preliminary preparation allows installation in a confined retrofit space without requiring extended on-site assembly, minimizing disruption to building occupants while maintaining adaptability to existing structures.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple elevator components (shaft, cabin, suspension, drive mechanism, guides, controls) are merged into a single integrated prefabricated unit. This combination allows the entire elevator system to be installed as one module during retrofit, reducing the number of separate installation operations and minimizing construction access requirements.
3Ease of manufacture
If thin-walled steel plates are used to prefabricate the shaft, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but inherent stability and torsional rigidity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-walled steel plate shaft is pre-assembled at the factory and stabilized during manufacturing. The factory environment allows for precise assembly and temporary bracing that provides sufficient stability during transport and installation, eliminating the need for thick walls while maintaining cost-effectiveness. The shaft's inherent stability is enhanced through design features like the bottom plate acting as permanent formwork and anchoring elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft structure combines thin-walled steel plates with concrete filling in the pit area. The bottom plate of the shaft acts as permanent formwork for the concrete foundation, creating a composite structure that enhances torsional rigidity and stability while maintaining the cost advantages of thin-walled steel construction. This composite approach allows thin walls to achieve the structural performance of thicker materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces on-site assembly time, lowers production costs, and ensures the elevator system's stability, enabling quick and cost-effective retrofitting of existing buildings without the need for additional support or rework, while maintaining compliance with structural standards.
Implementation Method 1
These cold forming techniques do not weaken the material; on the contrary, the stretching during bending and/or deep drawing usually strengthens the material at that point.
Implementation Method 2
the stretching during bending and/or deep drawing usually strengthens the material at that point
Implementation Method 3
the steel plates being connected to each other along the longitudinal direction of the shaft and outside of profile edges, in particular by welding
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an elevator system for external attachment to a building, extending over at least two floors and comprising a shaft 1, a cabin 3 mounted in the shaft for longitudinal movement, and its drive 5. The shaft 1 has a passage 1d at its lower end and an opening for each floor to be served. It is designed as a prefabricated sheet metal box made of at least one thin-walled steel plate 1a, 1b, which also extends over the passage 1d. Furthermore, the sheet metal box forming the shaft 1 is self-supporting in that the steel plates 1a, 1b run in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the shaft 1, while being profiled in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the shaft 1. The steel plates 1a, 1b are formed in one piece along the entire length of the shaft 1.The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such an elevator system.