SUMMARYElevators in buildings serve a very important function and are among the critical components of an essential facility. They have several mechanical and electrical components that are known to be susceptible to damage during earthquake occurrences. The counterweights, being the heaviest, are among their most vulnerable components. The ASME code has made several provisions to improve the performance of the counterweights in seismic events. To evaluate their performance under code-mandated provisions, it is necessary that a comprehensive and realistic analytical model is used. This paper uses a detailed model of a counterweight of a traction elevator to study its in-plane and out-of-plane dynamic behavior. The model incorporates the multiple support inputs and exibilities of the counterweight guidance system along with their non-linearities caused by the clearance limitations. The study examines the e ect of changing clearances, variability of input motions, and the use of tie brackets on the system response, and evaluates the impact of some of the code provisions on the dynamic behavior of the system.
SUMMARYThe rail-counterweight systems in building elevators are known to be susceptible to earthquake-induced ground motions. Besides avoiding costly repairs and economic disruptions, it is of special interest to maintain the functionality of the elevators in critical facilities such as hospitals during, and especially after, a strong earthquake event. This paper presents an approach to develop a realistic analytical model of these vulnerable systems to study their seismic response behaviour. The model includes the exibilities of the guidance and supporting components of the counterweights in a systematic manner. Currently only the linear response behaviour is considered; however, the sources of non-linearities in the exible components are clearly identiÿed. The model considers the e ect of the di erential support motions from the building. Both the out-of-plane and in-plane responses of the rail-counterweight are studied and included in the stress calculations. Several sets of numerical results considering simultaneous action of the two orthogonal components of historic earthquakes are obtained to study the seismic response characteristics of the rail-counterweight system.
SUMMARYThe counterweight in an elevator, being the heaviest component, can often overstress the guide rails during a strong earthquake. To reduce the in-plane counterweight response, the use of a part of the counterweight mass as a tuned mass damper in the passive and active modes is examined. The passive TMDs can reduce the stresses in the rails, but their performance can be signiÿcantly improved when they are used in the active mode. An actuator with saturation capacity less than 10% of the weight of the counterweight could reduce the critical stress response to as low a level as, or even lower than, the maximum response induced by the out-of-plane motion of the counterweight.
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