Vertical Transportation: A Glossary

Packed full of terms & illustrations to assist you!

Acceleration A period during which the elevator moves at an ever increasing rate of speed, usually referring to the period
from standstill to full speed.

Alternating Current AC - An electrical current that continuously cycles through a series of positive and negative values.

Anchor bolts Bolt designed to fasten rail brackets, door sills, headers or other objects to beams or hoistway walls.

Application Geared, Gearless or Hydraulic. These different types of elevators may be used for
different applications.
For example, a three-story medical office building will typically utilize hydraulic
elevators whereas tall, busy office buildings may require the speeds available with
the use of gearless traction elevators. Hydraulic elevators operate at slower speeds
and serve up to 79’-0” of travel. Geared traction elevators typically serve mid-rise
buildings with speeds up to 500 feet per minute. Gearless traction elevators can
serve buildings of any height with speeds of 500 feet per minute and higher.

Astragal Rubber molding on the leading edge of car and hoistway doors. It is furnished to quiet the operation of the
doors as they reach their fully closed position.

Auxiliary Panel A second car operating station, typically containing only floor buttons. The auxiliary panel may be used at the
 rear return with Front and Rear door configurations. It may also be used with center opening doors where a
car operating station is desired on each side of the door opening.

Baked enamel
finishes
available

White Antique Rich Desert

No. F-116 white cream sand
No. F-115 No. F-101 No. F-106

Fawn Dusty Nordic Williams-

No. F-808 rose blue burg blue
No. F-103 No. F-102 No. F-111

Wine Cedar Sable Black

No. F-104 brown No. F-909 No. F-112
No. F-105

Basement
The traction elevator machine is placed either in the basement or adjacent to the hoistway at an upper floor,
/Adjacent Machine
rather than directly overhead as standard
room

Bolster assembly The bottom horizontal member of a hydraulic car sling, to which the platen plate attaches.

Brace Rod A rod extending from the elevator platform framing to another part of the elevator car frame or sling for the
purpose of supporting the platform or holding it securely in position. Brace robs are supports for the outer
corners of the platform, each of which tie to upper portions of the stile.
Brackets (Guide
The steel plates, angles, or beams used to attach the rails firmly to the hoistway.
Rail)

Brake A spring loaded clamping device that prevents the elevator from moving when the car is at rest and no power
is applied to the hoistway motor.

Brake Drum A round, machined surface on the motor shaft which the brake clams for stopping.

Building Type Required to determine the requirements for service.

For example, an office building typically requires more elevators than an apartment building due to heavier
loads & traffic. Elevator professionals often use building type to assist in recommending solutions based on
different types of building traffic.

Buffer A device designed to stop a descending car or counterweight beyond its normal limit and to soften the force
with which the elevator runs into the pit during an emergency.

Buffer channel A channel in the pit floor of a traction elevator that supports buffers and guide rails.

Buffer springs Large diameter springs that are permanently placed in a traction elevator pit for the purpose of stopping a
descending car or counterweight beyond its normal limit of travel.

Buffer stroke The distance that a buffer will compress.

Cab The decorative enclosure on a passenger elevator platform in which people are carried.

Cab walls Flat steel wall cab – constructed of steel to create a flat cab interior. Basic options include a baked enamel
finish from our standard selection as shown below. Other available options are brushed, polished or 5WL
patterned stainless steel.
 Laminated plastic cab – walls of wood core construction, faced with decorative high-pressure plastic
laminate, as selected from our standard range of choices. Custom laminates may be selected; additional
charges will apply. Please contact your local ThyssenKrupp Elevator representative for a full-color Design
with Style plastic laminate selector.

Applied panel cab - Cab walls constructed of steel with applied decorative panels. Panels may be finished
from our standard selections of plastic laminate or wood veneer. Wood veneer finishes include Cherry,
Walnut, Red Oak, Honduras Mahogany and Maple.

Also available are brushed & polished stainless or bronze, as well as 5WL patterned stainless steel.

Cables Ropes, usually 4 to 6 in number, used to support the car. Ropes pass over the drive sheave to the
counterweight, either pulling up the car or lowering it.

Cable Wrap The amount of the drive sheave actually in contact with the cable.

Calculated Interval Measured in seconds, this is the time between elevator departures from the lobby during morning up peak.
An interval of 30 seconds means that a car will be leaving the lobby every 30 seconds with a load of
passengers. Traditional elevator theory can be used to show that the interval is equal to the calculated round
trip time divided by the number of elevators.

Calculated 5 The number of people that can be transported from the lobby in a five minute period, expressed as a
Minute percentage of the population. Elevator systems with a handling capacity of 12% can handle incoming
Handling passenger traffic up to a rate of 12% before lobby crowding occurs. Although traffic handling capacity
Capacity guidelines have been debated for years, typically this measurement is an estimate of how many people arrive
to use the elevators during the heaviest five minutes of morning rush hour.

Capacity The load rating, measured in pounds, for which an elevator is designed and powered. The actual weight on
the elevator should never exceed its rated capacity.
Car call Indication of the passenger's destination floor as entered from the car operating station by pushing the
corresponding floor push button.

Car operating A panel mounted in the car containing the car operating controls, such as call register (floor) buttons, door
panel, car station open and close, alarm, emergency stop, and any other buttons or keyswitches that may be required for
operation.

Car riding lantern A signal fixture mounted in the return & strike columns, or in the soffitt, of the car's entrance to provide visual
and audible indication that a car has arrived and its next direction of travel.

Ceiling types Suspended ceiling (diffused lighting) – Included as ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s standard design, this ceiling
has white translucent diffusers for the fluorescent lighting. Standard metal frame is black baked enamel. It
is also available in aluminum, stainless steel or bronze finishes.

Disc light ceiling – These metal ceiling panels have circular cutouts with translucent diffusers for the
fluorescent lighting. The panels are available in baked enamel, stainless steel or bronze finishes. The
standard metal frame is baked enamel with upgrade design to stainless steel or bronze finishes..

Incandescent Downlight ceiling – Metal pan downlight ceiling with multiple low voltage lights mounted in
baked enamel, stainless steel 5WL, or bronze finish ceiling panels.

Halogen Downlight ceiling – Metal pan downlight ceiling with halogen lighting that brilliantly illuminates the
 cab while using fewer bulbs than incandescent, requiring less maintenance. Lights are mounted in baked
enamel, stainless steel, 5WL, or bronze finish ceiling panels.

Coved light ceiling – Ceiling is constructed of painted steel panelized sections, which forms the car tops,
and wall mounted painted steel troughs. Fluorescent light fixtures are mounted to the side walls and
concealed above the troughs. The car top is available in baked enamel or stainless steel finishes. Troughs
are available in baked enamel, stainless steel, 5WL, or bronze finishes.

Island type halogen downlight ceiling – Featuring small halogen downlights, this ceiling is constructed of a
particleboard core faced with plastic laminate, stainless steel or bronze. The ceiling houses a concealed
emergency exit as well as concealed metal framework.

Floating (island) perimeter lighting – This ceiling is constructed of a particleboard core faced with plastic
laminate, stainless steel or bronze. Indirect lighting is provided by four fluorescent fixtures mounted above
the ceiling. The ceiling houses a concealed emergency exit as well as concealed metal framework.

Clips, Rail Special clip designed to fasten guide rails to guide rail brackets; clamps rails firmly in place.

Clutch A device mounted on the car door which pulls the hoistway doors as the car door moves open or closed.
Code, ASME System of regulations pertaining to design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of elevators.

Conventional Jack The type of hydraulic elevator mechanism whose cylinder must be installed in the ground. Major
components of a conventional jack system are shown in the diagram below:
Column The vertical sections of the car's entrance frame.

Compensation Using ropes, chain or other design to counterbalance transfer of hoist rope weight from one side of the
hoisting machine to the other as the car moves within the hoistway.

Compensating Welded-link chain used to compensate the weight of hoist rope. One end of the chain attaches under the
chain elevator and one end is fastened to the counterweight.

Compensating Wire roping installed to obtain hoist rope weight compensation. Again, one end attached to the underside of
rope the car and one end fastens to the counterweight.

Control Valve The device which on hydraulic elevators controls the oil flow to and from the jack.

Controller An electrical panel which performs many computer functions by which it operates an elevator.
Corner Post A method of mounting rails in opposite corners of the hoistway, usually to accommodate doors in adjacent
hoistway walls.

Counterweight Added weight on traction elevators which counterbalances the weight of an elevator car plus approximately
40% of the capacity load. The traction car & counterweight diagrams is shown below:

Counterweight
Metal pieces stacked and bolted together within a frame to form the counterweight.
fillers

Crosshead The upper member of the car frame.

Deceleration A period during which the elevator moves at an ever decreasing rate of speed, usually referring to the period
from full speed to leveling speed.

Direct Current
An electrical current that flows constantly in one direction.
(DC)

Doors - Biparting Protective devices for hoistway openings of freight elevators consisting of two steel panels which move
vertically and counterweight each other.

Doors - Center A door type which consists of two horizontal sliding panels which move in opposite directions.
Opening

Doors - Horizontal Entrance protection for both car and hoistway (usually for passenger elevators) which moves sideways.
Sliding Available as single-slide or double-slide.

Door Gibs Devices at the bottom of horizontal sliding door panels which stick into sill grooves and hold the door panels
in alignment.

Door hanger Rolling assembly fastened to the top of the door panel. Supports and allows horizontal sliding movement of
the door panel. The door track is part of the hanger assembly.

Door interlock Prevents the operation on the machine unless the hoistway door is locked in a closed position, Also prevents
 the opening of hoistway doors from the landing side unless the elevator is in the landing zone and is either
stopped or coming to a stop.

Door Operator A machine mounted on the car directly above the opening which drives the car door open and closed.

Door Panel A portion of the door or gate which covers the opening and moves to uncover the opening.

Door Type Door speed, door operation, and door opening width effect the door opening and closing times of your
elevator. Ultimately, this impacts performance and interval. Because door operation happens at each stop, a
one second difference in opening and/or closing time makes a major difference in calculated performance.

Dot Matrix Position indicator with a display that uses small light emitting diodes (LED) to display a character (see Position
Position Indicator Indicator Types)

Dust covers Sheet metal cover that protects the door hangar track assembly.
(hanger cover)

Double-wrapped Roping arrangement on (gearless) traction elevators, where the hoist ropes pass around a secondary sheave
and back over the drive sheave again, so the traction (friction) of the ropes on the drive sheave is increased

Emergency power Automatic Lowering using a Building-supplied Standby Power Source – (Hydraulic Applications: 10-
operation DOA) Upon loss of the normal power supply, building-supplied standby power is available on the same wires
as the normal power supply.

Once the loss of normal power is detected and standby power is available, the elevator is lowered to a pre-
designated landing and the doors are opened. After passengers have exited the elevator, the doors are
closed and the car is shut down. When normal power is restored, the elevator automatically resumes
operation.
Full automatic operation (Simplex) – (Traction or Hydraulic applications: 10-D4A) Upon loss of the normal
power supply, building-supplied standby power is available to the elevator on the same wires as the normal
power.

Once the loss of normal power has been detected and standby power is available, the elevator is lowered to
a pre-designated landing and will open the doors. After passengers have exited the elevator, the doors are
closed. At this time the elevator is automatically allowed to continue service using the building-supplied
standby power.
Full automatic operation (Group) – (Traction or Hydraulic applications: 10-D4A) Upon loss of normal
power, building-supplied standby power is available to the elevator on the same wires as the normal power.

Once the loss of normal power has been detected and standby power is available, one elevator at a time
from each group will be lowered to a pre-designated landing and will open the doors. After passengers have
exited the elevator, the doors are closed and the car shuts down. The next available car in the group will
then be selected to lower, allow passengers to exit, close the doors and shutdown. This process is repeated
 until all cars in the group have been lowered and parked. At this time, an elevator is automatically allowed to
continue service using the building-supplied standby power.

A manual selection switch is available to override the automatic selection and allow and car in the group to
provide service to the building.

When normal power is restored, the elevators automatically resume operation.

Battery lowering operation – (Hydraulic applications: 10-DOC) When the loss of normal power is detected,
a battery lowering feature is to be activated. The elevator will lower to a predetermined level and open the
doors. After passengers have exited the car, the doors will close and the car will shutdown. When normal
power becomes available, the elevator will automatically resume operation.

The battery lowering feature is included in the elevator contract and does not utilize a building-supplied
standby power source.

Emergency exit The removable opening in the car top panel of the cab. Removable only from the top of the car, the
emergency exit permits passengers to be evacuated from the elevator during emergency.

Emergency Stop A hand operated switch in the car push button station, which, when thrown to the off position stops the
Switch elevator and prohibits it from running.

End Post A method of mounting the two stacks of rails on a common wall at the end of the hoistway.

Entrance Closes the hoistway enclosures openings that are normally used for loading and unloading, including the door
assembly panels, transom panels, hardware, and frames.

Fascia Steel plate installed in the hoistway vertically to extend from the top of the hoistway door hanger header to
the sill at the landing above, which connects the hoistway door hanger to the sill to prevents pinch points and
ledges.
Fire service A group of devices that removes all cars from normal use, sends them to a designated landing, and permits
special operation for firefighters or emergency personnel.

Fireman telephone A special phone jack that can be built into a car operating panel or hall station, which enables firefighter
jack communication.

Fish Plates A steel plate which spans the joint where two length of guide rails in a stack meet.
Fixture Styles Aurora - A fixture style featuring round buttons with red illuminating halos. Hall and car riding lanterns are
available with either round or triangular lenses.

Traditional - A fixture style which features round buttons and triangular lenses. Hall and car riding lanterns
are available with triangular and round lenses.

Vandal Resistant - A fixture style that features fewer breakable parts to survive non-friendly environments.
5 Minute Handling The number of people that can be transported from the lobby in a five minute period, expressed as a
Capacity percentage of the population. Elevator systems with a handling capacity of 12% can handle incoming
passenger traffic up to a rate of 12% before lobby crowding occurs. Although traffic handling capacity
guidelines have been debated for years, typically this measurement is an estimate of how many people arrive
to use the elevators during the heaviest five minutes of morning rush hour.

FPM For Imperial measurements, speeds of elevators are measured in FPM

Freight Enclosure The ruggedly built room on a freight elevator in which material is being carried.

Front Return The side of cab at which the entrance is located if the car has a single entrance. On cars with front & rear
entrances, the front is the entrance side closest to the main car station. Typically, the main car operating
panel will be in the front return.

Front Types Conventional return with applied faceplate - The car station's operating controls are built into box that is
recessed into the front return wall. An applied faceplate is secured to the front panel with screws.

Column type swing return - One side of the car station is secured to the front with a hinge while the other
aligns vertically with the column.
 Wrap around swing return - One side of the car station is secured to the front with a hinge while the other
wraps around the column and meets the door. The filler panel is stationary.

Full-width wrap around swing return - One side of the car station is secured to the adjoining cab wall with
a hinge while the other wraps around the column and meets the door. The entire front return swings open.

Gate - Single A vertical sliding counterweighted device used to provide entrance protection on freight elevators and
Blade consisting of one panel, usually made of expanded metal.

Gate - Double A vertical sliding counterweighted device used to provide entrance protection on freight elevators. It consists
Blade of two panels usually made of expanded metal. The blades telescope to reduce overhead space
requirements.

Gear - Housing The enclosure containing a traction machine's gears.

Gear - Ring A large gear driven by the worm gear which is attached to the drive sheave.

Gear - Worm A spiral gear connected to and driven by the motor and which drives the ring gear.

Glass back An elevator cab with one wall made entirely or partially of glass.

Governor The speed monitoring device on traction elevators that triggers the safety when the elevator over-speeds.

Gross load The combined weight of the platform, sling, cab, and rated capacity.

Group operation Scanning a system of two or more cars for hall calls then dispatching cars appropriately based on calculated
estimated time of arrival.

Guide Rails “T” or Omega shaped sections installed vertically in the hoistway to guide and direct the course of travel of
either an elevator or its counterweight

Guide Rollers Guide shoes with rollers which rotate on the guide rails. Roller Guides
Guide Shoes Devices on the sling which slide or roll on the rails to guide the elevator through the hoistway.

Hall call, landing

Indication of the passenger's destination direction entered from the hall by pushing the corresponding button.
call

Hall lantern A light fixture mounted in the hallway to provide visual and audible indication that a car is about to arrive and
the direction of travel when it leaves.

Hall A light fixture mounted in the hallway to provide visual and audible indication that a car is about to arrive, the
Lantern/position direction of travel when it leaves, and the relative position of the car in the hoistway.
indicator combo
Hall station The signal fixture with directional buttons mounted at each landing used to request an elevator. Fire service
switch and signage are typically included in the main hall station. Terminal Hall Stations have only one button
for up or down. Intermediate hall stations are provided for landings where up and down are options.

Hanger Rollers Rollers (two per panel) from which horizontal door panels are suspended.

Hanger Track The track through which the hanger rollers are guided.
Head Jamb The top horizontal piece of an entrance door frame which connects the side members.

Header Formed steel positioned horizontally in the hoistway to provide structural support to the door hanger and
vertical struts on sliding type entrances.

Hitch Plate A plate (on traction elevators) clamped to the underside of the crosshead and to which the shackles are
attached.

Hoistway The space enclosed by fireproof walls and hoistway doors in which the elevator travels, extending from the
pit floor to the roof. (Hoistway is sometimes called "hatchway" or "hatch".)
Hoistway Access An option which allows access to the hoistway from the lowest and uppermost landing through a spring
return key switch at each access landing. Depressing the key switch moves the car up and down the
hoistway at leveling speed and enables access to the top of the car or the pit.

Hoistway Door The side of the elevator door visible in the lobby or hallway which may be opened only when the car is at that
landing and the door operator engages both the hoistway and the car doors.

Hydraulic Elevator Power elevator where the energy is applied, by means of a liquid under pressure, in a hydraulic jack.

Interlock A device that provides a physical lock for hoistway door and gives an electrical signal which allows the car to
run.

Independent When activated through a key switch, the car is removed from group operation and will bypass all landing
service calls, deactivate hall/car riding lanterns, and respond only to car calls. Also known as hospital emergency
operation.

Interval The time (in seconds) between elevator departures from the lobby during morning up peak. An interval of 30
seconds means that a car will be leaving the lobby every 30 seconds with a load of passengers. Traditional
Elevatoring theory can be used to show that the interval is equal to the calculated round trip time divided by
the number of elevators.

“In Use” lights Signal on freight elevators used to indicate that the elevator is either running or has the doors open. This is
only used on freight elevators with manual bi-parting doors.
Isolated platform Car platform that is mounted on rubber vibration absorbing material to reduce the transmission of noise and
vibration. Isolated platforms are not applicable to holeless or telescoping jacks.

Jack Assembly of cylinder, packing and plunger of a hydraulic elevator. The device that “pushes” the elevator up
by means of liquid under pressure.

Jack - Babbitt A soft metal used in the guide to reduce scratching of the plunger surface.

Jack - Cylinder The part of the hydraulic jack mechanism which contains the plunger and oil.

Jack - Drip Ring A flange on the guide used to collect oil from the plunger so it can drain into a collector.

Jack - Guide An assembly bolted to the upper end of the cylinder which centers the plunger in the cylinder.

Jack hole A man-made opening in the earth for the placement of the cylinder for a hydraulic elevator.

Jack - Plunger The inner piece of the jack which supports the car.
Jack - Seal A device mounted on the guide to minimize oil escaping around the plunger.

Junction box Box with a cover that serves the purpose of joining different runs of cables and providing space for the
connection of conductors.

Junction box Box with a cover that serves the purpose of joining different runs of cables and providing space for the
connection of conductors.

Kick plate Metal plate, often finished in stainless steel, fastened to lower face of the elevator doors to minimum damage to
the face of the door.

Landing doors The movable door at the entrance of an elevator; this door provide access to the hoistway when the elevator
is on hoistway access
Landing zone A zone extending from a point 18” below an elevator or material life landing, to a point 18” above the landing.

Leveling A slow rate of speed used for the final approach to a floor to ensure an accurate floor stop; the movement of
an elevator toward the landing sill when it is within the leveling zone

Limited Access Car Call Lockout – a feature which allows the user to prevent car calls from being registered at specific
Features floors. Car calls are typically locked out by using keyswitches, card readers, key pads and computer-based
monitoring systems.
Hall Call Lockout – a feature which allows the user to prevent hall calls from being registered at specific
floors. Hall calls are typically locked out by using keyswitches, card readers, key pads and computer-based
monitoring systems.

Load Capacity rating in pounds which an elevator is designed to safely handle.

Lobby Floor Height The main lobby is often taller than other floors. Lobby height should be entered separately as the distance
from the top of the lobby's finished floor to the top of the finished floor of the next landing. Small express
zones may be accommodated by using the distance from the lobby to the next landing served by the
elevator. For example, if the cars do not stop at floors 2 and 3, then you may enter a lobby height of 42 feet
(18' for lobby and 12' for each of floors 2 and 3).

Lubricator Applicators which feed oil to the rail and provide proper lubrication for sliding guide shoes.

Machine - Geared Geared Traction machines for elevators of 500 fpm of less in which the drive sheave is connected to the
motor through a gear train. Power from the motor is transmitted to the drive sheave through reduction gears.

Machine - Gearless Traction machines for elevator of 500 fpm or higher in which the drive sheave is directly connected
Gearless to the motor. The hoist ropes pass over a traction drive sheaves, which is integral with the armature.

Machine Room A room where traction machines or hydraulic power units for elevators are located.
Machine beams Horizontal steel beams that support the elevator driving machine of a traction application. The machine
beams carry the load of the drive machine, elevator car and counterweights.

Main egress The floor of a building that is the “entry” & “exit” point of the building. Indicated by a star symbol in the car
operating panel next to the appropriate pushbutton and in the hall jamb symbols.

Max Car Loading The percentage of total capacity that the car carries on each round trip. Even though the nameplate on a
3500 pound car lists the capacity as 21 persons, it is very unusual that 21 people will crowd into the car. This
averages about 80% but can vary depending upon tenant behavior and culture.

Microlight ThyssenKrupp Elevator’s version of a door protection device in the form of a curtain of light beams extending
in front of the car door's leading edge. Whenever interference with these beams is detected, the door
retracts.

Modernization Process of upgrading existing elevator equipment to modern standards. Some modernizations are
accomplished by adding new architectural features, ADA compliant features, or upgrading due to safety features
on equipment.

Number of The number of elevators necessary to meet your requirements. This number is derived from a traditional
Elevators traffic calculation during morning up peak. In this scenario, an elevator loads at the lobby, delivers
passengers to their floors, and returns empty for the next trip. Request a full simulation to analyze more
complicated situations where a group of cars controlled by specific dispatcher logic serves lunchtime or down
peak passenger traffic.

Number of Most elevators feature doors on one side of the car. Some applications will require two sets of doors - front
Openings and rear doors. On floors where both sets of doors open, the time the car remains at that floor is diminished
since passengers may disembark more rapidly.
Oil Buffer One type of buffer (for traction elevators with speeds higher than 200 fpm) which uses a combination of oil
and springs to cushion a descending car or counterweight. Buffers are located in the elevator pit.

Oil Line The piping on a hydraulic elevator that channels the oil from the power unit to the jack.

One Floor Run A special circuit used when the elevator must run from one floor to another wherein the distance is so short
Circuit that acceleration and deceleration might overlap.

One to One Arrangement of elevator hoist ropes in which one end of each hoist rope passes from the car hitch over the
roping (1:1) machine sheaves to the counterweight hitch. With 1:1 roping, the car, counterweights, and hoist ropes all travel
at the same speed.

Operation The system by which the elevator responds to car and hall calls.

Operation - A very simple form of elevator operation where the elevator runs only as long as a button is pushed and can
Constant Pressure handle only one call at a time.

Operation -

Momentary A simple form of elevator operation that accepts only one call at a time, remembers that call and dispatches
Pressure or Full the car in the proper direction.
Automatic

Operation -
A modern form of elevator operation where the system accepts and remembers an infinity number of calls
Selective
and answers them as the car moves in the appropriate direction.
Collective
Overspeed Valve A valve which reduces the speed of a hydraulic elevator when it detects that the speed exceeds a
predetermined rate.

Overhead The upper portion of the elevator hoistway. Overhead is determined by the elevator application.

Overhead Standard machine room location on a traction elevator, the machine room is located above the elevator
machine hoistway

Overtravel A short distance beyond the terminal floor as allowance for building inaccuracies, manufacturing or
installation inaccuracies.

Protection pads Removable canvas or vinyl pads used inside the elevator cab to protect the wall & front finishes.

Panel The arrangement/layout of the applied panels inside an elevator cab.

Arrangement Horizontal

Vertical
 Both

Passenger
An elevator used to carry people.
Elevator

Penthouse The machine room above the hoistway on traction elevators.

Pickup Rollers Devices on the hoistway door which mate with the clutch on the car door to allow the hoistway doors to be
pulled open and closed.

Pit The area at the bottom of the hoistway under the car, extending from the sill level of the lowest landing to the
floor at the bottom of the hoistway.

Pit Channels Steel channels on the pit floor to distribute the hydraulic elevator load from pit brackets across the floor,
anchor the guide rails and other pit-mounted devices, and support car and counterweight buffers.

Platen plate A plate, used to attach the jack to the bolster assembly of a hydraulic elevator.

Platform The floor of the elevator, placed in the sling and supported by brace rods in each corner, on which passenger
stand or the load is carried.
Platform Isolation Rubber or other vibration absorbing material which reduces the transmission of vibration and noise to the
Pads platform.

Plunger The inside, moveable part of a hydraulic jack that is attached to the platen plate of a car sling.

Position Indicator A light fixture which indicates the relative position of the elevator within the hoistway. When placed in a
lobby/landing, it is referred to as a hall position indicator. Inside the cab, it is referred to as a car position
indicator.
Power Doors Doors which are propelled by electric motor(s). Power doors on Freight Applications are supplied by the
general contractor.

Power Unit The device on hydraulic elevators which supplies the motive force to run the car.

Protection pads Quilted vinyl which can be hung by hooks or buttons on the cab walls for protection.

Pump (power The device which draws oil from the tank and pushes it through the oil line to the jack to move the elevator
unit/pumping unit) up.

Pushbutton An insulated button that operates electrical contacts when pressed

Push Button A decorative device containing one or more hand-operated devices (buttons or switches) by which the
Station passenger or freight handler tells the controller what action is desired.

Rated speed The elevator speed in the up direction with the rated load in the car.

Registered call A signal initiated by pressing a car or landing pushbutton, indicating a demand for service at or to the landing
for which the button was pressed.

Return The area behind a wall or enclosure where a sliding door panel or gate slides when opening.

Return panel The panel at the front of the passenger elevator car, adjacent to the entrance, behind which a sliding door
passes when opening and closing.

Reveals The area on a cab wall between applied panels, typically measures 2 inches.

Rise Vertical distance from the finished floor level of the terminal landing to the finished floor of the top landing.
See also: Travel

Roller Guides Guide shoes that use rollers to rotate on the guide rails instead of slide guides.
Ropes (Hoist) For traction elevators, a strong cord of twisted fibers such as steel which connects the elevator car sling
assembly and the counterweight passing over or around the drive sheave. The ropes are used to raise and
lower an elevator.

Safety Device on the car or counterweight that will stop the car or counterweight and keep the elevator from falling
in case of overspeed, free-fall, or rope stretch.

Safety Edge A mechanical device driven by the elevator, which simulates elevator movements.

Safety Edge - A small steel cable attached from the car or counterweight or a drum on the selector by which car motion is
Cable transferred to the selector.

Safety Edge -
Electrical signaling devices located on the selector carriage and which contact segments of floor bars and
Cams-Fingers,
thereby pass circuits to a controller.
Wipers
Safety Edge -
A simulated car located in the selector which carries cams through which electrical signals are passed.
Carriage

Safety Edge - A cylindrical device on the selector, to which the selector cable is attached, which (through the gears)
Drum transfers the car motion to the selector carriage.

Safety Edge -
Simulated floor devices on a selector through which cams pass electrical signals.
Floor Bars

Safety Housing A large clamp that anchors the car to the building to keep the elevator from falling.

Safety Plank The bottom member of a sling for a traction elevator which contains the safety.

Seismic Switch Activated by movement in the ground that provides a signal that a potentially damaging earthquake is
imminent.

Setting the Safety The act of triggering the safety to stop the elevator from falling.

Shackle Threaded rods to which the hoist cables are socketed and which bolt to the hitch plate and the
counterweight.

Sheave Wheel that is mounting in bearings and having one or more grooves over which a rope or number of ropes
may pass

Sheave - A pulley located on the car and on the counterweight, under which the hoist cables run to double the capacity
Compound and reduce the speed of an elevator.

Sheave - Deflector A pulley aligned with the drive sheave, which provides a path for the cables to drop straight to the
counterweight.

Sheave - Drive The grooved wheel of a traction machine over which hoist ropes are passed and through which motion is
initiated.

Sheave - A pulley on a gearless machine which serves two purposes - 1. To allow each cable a second pass over the
Secondary drive sheave. 2. To deflect the cable for a straight drop to the counterweight.

Shims Devices used as fillers to ensure accurate positioning of bolted pieces (such as rails).

Shut Off Valve A valve in the oil line that may be engaged manually to allow inspection and maintenance of a hydraulic
 elevator system.

Side Post The normal practice of mounting rails on opposite hoistway wall midways, front-to-back.

Sight Guard A strip of sheet metal mounted vertically on the leading edge of side sliding elevator doors used to reduce the
opening between the leading edges of the hoistway and car doors and to block any sight of the hoistway with
the doors are open.

Signal fixtures, Light fixtures that provide visual and audible indication that a car is about to arrive, the direction of travel
signal equipment when it leaves, or the relative position of the car in the hoistway. Also refers to the arrangement of buttons or
other devices used by passengers to indicate their destination. These may be located in the lobby, hallway at
landings, in the entrance, or in the car.
Silencer A muffler type device installed in the oil line of a hydraulic elevator pump designed to reduce noise produced
as oil moves through the line.

Sill The threshold of a door opening. Most sills include grooves to guide the bottom of the car or hoistway door.
ThyssenKrupp Elevator offers a Freedom sill, which is grooveless and is guided from under the sill. Sills
extend the full width of the door travel.

Sill Support The means by which a hoistway door sill is secured to the flooring so that the sill is level with the floor.

Simplex operation Controller operation that involves only one car.

Simulation Tools A complex set of computer tools used by trained experts to simulate a group of elevators responding to hall
calls and car calls. Both the Basic and Enhanced Calculator are based on the traditional metrics of Morning
Up Peak Traffic. An elevator loads at the lobby, delivers passengers to their floors, and returns empty for the
next trip. A traffic analysis is not complete until other scenarios such as lunch time and down peak are
examined through a full simulation.
Single Speed Door Door type with one panel which slides to one side, behind the return panel.

Sling The basic frame which consists of two stiles, a crosshead and a bolster or safety plank which supports the
platform and cab of an elevator.

Soffit Top horizontal piece that forms the entrance frame inside the elevator cab.

Speed The number of feet an elevator travels at the full rated velocity per minute for Imperial measurements. The
number of meters traveled per second in Metric.

Spring Buffer One type of buffer, for elevators with speeds less than 200 feet per minute, which cushions the elevator. It is
located in the elevator pit.

Stack An accurate, vertical line of rails located in the hoistway. ("Stack: may also be used when referring to conduit
and electrical wiring)

Starting Solid state starting – an electronic reduced voltage starter featuring adjustable starting currents. Solid state
starting is standard on motors with a horsepower of 40 or greater. It is optional on motors less than 40
horsepower.
Across the line starting – an economical motor starter used with motors up to 30 horsepower. With ALS, a
heavy contactor is wired directly to the building power supply. ALS produces higher starting current than a
solid state starter.

Stile The vertical member of the car sling, one on each side, that fasten the crosshead to the safety plank.
Stopping The action of final motion of the elevator from leveling speed to an accurate floor level.

Strike jamb Column against which a horizontal sliding car door closes.

Support (Brace) Slender metal pieces which extend from the platform and are secured another part of the frame to support
Rods the platform.

Tank (Reservoir) A container to store the oil used to move the elevator.
Terminal landings The top or bottom landing to which an elevator travels.

Toe Guards Steel plates with a flat and an angled surface which reduce the shearing action of the sill or threshold if the
(Platform guards) doors are opened when the car is not at a landing. Toe guards are secured to the edge of the car platform or
the hoistway edge of the sill of the lowest terminal landing.

Torque The pulling effort developed by the motor

Traction One of two methods by which an elevator is moved, whereby the elevator is "pulled" up by cables; traction
refers to the friction developed between the hoist ropes and drive sheave

Transom A panel or panels above an entrance used to close the hoistway enclosure.

Travel Vertical distance from the finished floor level of the terminal landing to the finished floor of the top landing.
See also: Rise
Travel - Net The distance from the top floor to the bottom floor.

Travel - Total Net travel plus top and bottom overtravels.

Typical Floor to The distance between the surface of the finished floor on one landing to the surface of the finished floor on
Floor Height the landing above. Use the Enhanced Calculator when your lobby height is different than the floor to floor
height.

Two Speed Door A type of door consisting of two horizontal sliding panels which move in the same direction. The strike jamb
panel travels at twice the speed of the return jamb panel and slide in back of it as the doors open and close.

Two to One Arrangement of hoist ropes in which one end of each hoist rope passes from a dead-end hitch in the
Roping (2:1) overhead, under a car sheave, up over the drive sheave, down around a counterweight shave and up to
another dead-end hitch in the overhead. The car speed is one-half the rope speed.

Variable Voltage A method of controlling a DC-driven machine which produces may different speeds.

Variable Voltage,
A method of controlling an AC motor to vary the torque and speed by varying voltage amplitude and
Variable
frequency.
Frequency (VVVF)

Valve A hydraulic elevator mechanism that regulates the motion of the elevator by regulating the flow of oil.
Vertical
The class of transport for moving people or equipment in the vertical direction
transportation

V-Groove A groove in the drive sheave which produces a pinching or wedging effect on the cable, used on geared
machines.

Wainscoting Walls extending from the platform to the handrail or in some cases to the underside of the car top. Typically
referred to as the finish of walls in a freight elevator.