Self-Healing Elevator Load Bearing Member Jacket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elevator load bearing member technologies face challenges in maintaining durability and resistance to damage, such as cracking, under operational stresses, which can lead to premature failure and reduced useful life.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of self-healing components, including microcapsules with breakable shells containing reactive resins and intrinsically self-healing materials, into the jacket and outer coating of load bearing cords, which can repair cracks and mitigate damage propagation, combined with a protective outer coating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional round steel ropes or flat belt technologies are used, then the elevator system can operate, but the load bearing members are susceptible to cracking and premature failure under operational stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The jacket incorporates self-healing materials that automatically repair cracks and damage without external intervention. The material contains microcapsules with healing agents that rupture upon crack formation, releasing the agent to bond and seal the crack, thereby extending the service life and maintaining reliability of the load bearing member
Solution Approach 2:
The jacket is constructed from composite materials combining base polymer matrix with self-healing additives such as microcapsules containing epoxy resins or other healing agents. This composite structure provides both mechanical strength and autonomous damage repair capabilities, resolving the contradiction between durability and service life
2Strength
If the jacket material is made more durable to resist cracking, then failure resistance improves, but the complexity of the material composition increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base polymer material's physical or chemical parameters are modified to enhance crack resistance while maintaining processability. This may involve adjusting molecular weight, crosslinking density, or adding reinforcement fibers, achieving improved strength without excessively complicating the overall material system
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than creating a highly complex multi-layer protective system, the invention uses self-healing materials that automatically repair cracks, simplifying the structural design while achieving superior crack resistance through the material's autonomous repair capability
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 self-healing components effectively extend the useful life and enhance failure resistance of elevator load bearing members by autonomously repairing cracks and preventing further damage, thereby improving the overall performance and reliability of the elevator system.
Implementation Method 1
The microcapsules rupture at pressures greater than about 10 megapascals (MPa)
Implementation Method 2
a self-healing component... which can repair cracks and mitigate damage propagation
Implementation Method 3
the self-healing component includes an intrinsically self-healing material
Implementation Method 4
the self-healing component in the outer coating includes at least one of an intrinsically self-healing material and a shape memory polymer
Data Source
AI summary
An elevator load bearing member includes a plurality of load bearing cords and a jacket at least partially surrounding the cords. The jacket includes a layer received against the cords, and a self-healing component. A method of making an elevator load bearing member is also disclosed.