ELEVATOR

Done By
Ralph Rohit
XI F

BONAFIDE
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that G.RALPH ROHIT (Roll No. 24) is a
bonafide student of this school studying in Class XI F in
DPS MIS during the academic year 2014-15.

Name

: G. Ralph Rohit

Roll No

: 24

Year

: 2014 - 2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my
teacher Vijayasree maam who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic
Elevators, which also helped me in doing a lot of Research
and I came to know about so many things I am really
thankful to them.
Secondly, I would also like to thank my parents who helped
me a lot in finalizing this project within the limited time frame.

INTRODUCTI
ON
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently
moves people or goods between floors (levels, decks) of a building,
vessel, or other structure. Elevators are generally powered by
electric motors that either drive traction cables or counterweight
systems like a hoist, or pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical
piston like a jack. Most are powered by eclectic motors that pull
steel cables along pulleys.
The first known reference to an elevator comes from the Roman
architect Vitruvius. He reported that mathematician and inventor
Archimedes built the first elevator in 236 B.C. Elevators in this time
period were mentioned to have been constructed from hemp rope
and powered by hand or animals. Prototypes of elevators were later
found in palaces of both England and France.
By the middle of the 1800's, there were dozens of crude elevators
that were designed to carry both freight and human. These ancient
elevators worked through hydraulic systems, the first every using a
plunger below the elevator car to raise or lower it. To assist in lifting
the enormous weight of the elevator, a counter-balancing system
was implemented.
This report mainly focuses on how to make a model elevator.

THEORY
Most elevators work just like a pulley. A very strong metal rope is
joined to the top of the elevator car and goes up through a sheave
in the engine room above the elevator. The sheave is like a pulley
wheel with grooves in it to hold the rope tightly. On the other side of
the rope is a weight, which is about as heavy as the elevator car
when it is half full. This balances the car, so that not too much
energy is needed to move it.
Both the weight and the elevator car are held in place by guide rails
at the sides of the elevator shaft (the tunnel the elevator is in). A
motor can turn the wheel in either direction so that the elevator
either goes up or down (with the weight doing the opposite). When
you push the button inside the elevator, you activate the motor.
When the motor stops, the grooves in the pulley wheel keep the
rope in place so the elevator stops moving.

MATERIALS
REQUIRED
Piece of plywood (or other suitable hard surface wood)
Six empty spindles
A cardboard box (we'll use this to create our small elevator)
String or thread
Six nails
A small weight, such as a heavy screw
Tape
Scissors
Ruler
Pen or Pencil
Hammer

Estimated Time: 2-3 hours

EXPERIMENTAL
PROCEDURE
1. First we'll need to construct our tiny elevator car from the
cardboard box. Using your ruler and pen, draw five six-inch by
six-inch squares on your cardboard box. Cut the squares from
the box with your scissors. Tape the squares in a manner that
will make an open box. Do this by aligning the squares at their
edges and joining them together with some tape. Once
complete your elevator should look like the example in Figure A.
2. Attach the spindles to the wooden frame using the nails. The
spindles should be aligned so that four are spread evenly at the
top of the wood, about four inches apart for each spindle. Two
additional spindles should be placed at the bottom of the box,
also four inches apart. See Figure B as a placement guideline.

3. Tie a piece of string to the bottom of your cardboard elevator

car. Tie two additional strings to the top of your elevator car. See
Figure A for an example.

4. Pass the string attached to the bottom of the elevator car

over the spindles 4, 3, 2, and 1. When you get to spindle 2, loop
the string over the spindle twice. Tie the end of string to the
string on the top of the box once it loops over spindle 1 (see
Figure B).
5. Attach the other string on the top of the elevator car around
spindles 5 and 6. Make sure the string lays over the spindles
tightly and attach your counterweight (a large nut, screw, heavy
key, or any other weight that's appropriate).
6. Make sure all strings are tight and all spindles are firmly in
place.
7. Turn the second spindle with your fingers (labeled 2 in the
Figure B). If constructed correctly, the elevator car should move
up or down, depending on the direction you rotate the spindle.

OBSERVATIO
NS
If constructed correctly, the elevator car should move up or
down, depending on the direction you rotate the spindle and
this would be a perfect example for an elevator.
While doing the observation note that positioning the
spindles and getting them to stay on your wood piece may
be tricky at first but keep on trying.

CONCLUSIO
N
When you turn spindle 2, the string attached is wound or unwound,
resulting in the elevator car moving up or down. The counterweight
is used to balance the weight of the elevator car so it's easier to pull
up. As the elevator is lifted up, the counterweight moves down.

Safety Measures
Modern elevators have multiple safety systems. Like the cables on
a suspension bridge, the cable in an elevator is made from many

metal cables twisted together so a small failure of one part of the

cable isn't, initially at least, going to cause any problems.
Elevators also have a safety braking system similar to the one Otis
originally designed with spring-loaded arms locking the car into
vertical guide rails. Even if all the cables break, this system will still
hold the car in place or at least reduce its descent to a safe and
slow speed. Finally, if you've ever looked at a transparent glass
elevator, you'll have noticed a giant hydraulic or gas spring buffer at
the bottom to cushion against an impact if the safety brake should
somehow fail.

BIBLIOGRAP
HY
Websites Wikipedia.com
Discovery.net
Explainthatstuff.com

Books

Systems Engineering Of Elevators