Elevator Sheave Liner Wear Indication With Blind Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator systems face challenges in economically and reliably determining when sheave liners need replacement, leading to unnecessary costs and downtime due to either premature or delayed replacement, which can result in increased wear and maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
The design of an elevator sheave liner with a plurality of blind holes of varying depths and widths on its surface, where the visibility of these holes indicates the level of wear, allowing for a straightforward and efficient visual inspection to determine if the liner requires replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sheave liners are replaced frequently to ensure safety, then reliability of roping protection is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to unnecessary elevator downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates blind holes at predetermined depths during liner manufacturing, creating pre-established wear indicators that allow inspection before critical wear occurs. This preliminary preparation enables proactive scheduling of liner replacement based on actual wear conditions rather than reactive replacement after failure or preventive replacement on fixed schedules, thus maintaining reliability while improving productivity.
2Reliability
If sheave liners are replaced early to prevent roping wear, then roping protection is improved, but loss of time increases due to premature replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The blind holes act as self-indicating wear markers that automatically reveal themselves as the liner wears. The wear process itself serves the inspection function by progressively exposing the blind holes at different depths, eliminating the need for separate measurement tools or complex inspection procedures. This self-service mechanism enables accurate wear assessment without requiring elevator shutdown or specialized equipment.
3Measurement precision
If complex wear measurement techniques are used to accurately assess liner wear, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the visual appearance change of blind holes transitioning from hidden to visible as the liner wears. This optical change provides an intuitive, immediate indication of wear progression without requiring instrumentation. The varying depths of blind holes create a visual gradient that corresponds to different wear stages, enabling precise wear assessment through simple visual inspection rather than complex measurement devices.
Data Source
AI summary
An illustrative example embodiment of an elevator sheave liner includes a liner body having a first surface configured to engage an elevator load bearing member and an oppositely facing second surface. The liner body includes a plurality of blind holes in the second surface including at least a first blind hole and a second blind hole. The first blind hole has a first depth and the second blind hole has a second, different depth. A material of the liner body has a first thickness between the first blind hole and the first surface and a second, different thickness between the second blind hole and the first surface.