Title: Experimental and numerical damage evaluation of a lift safety gear

Authors: Marco Giglio, Andrea Manes

Addresses: Dipartimento di Meccanica, Politecnico di Milano, via La Masa 1, I 20156 Milano, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Meccanica, Politecnico di Milano, via La Masa 1, I 20156 Milano, Italy

Abstract: The aim of this paper is the experimental and numerical evaluation of the accumulated damage in a progressive lift safety gear, during its life cycle. In particular this evaluation has been carried out by means of experimental tests that reproduce exactly the emergency condition which activates the safety gear and with a detailed FE model of the component. Another purpose of these tests is to verify that the average deceleration (retardation) during gripping action lies between 0.2g and 1g (permissible limits) according to European Standard UNI EN 81-1 (1999). In particular the experimental tests, consisting in free falls of a test lift car with full load, and the following gripping phase caused by the safety gear activation, have been carried out evaluating the strains in the component and the car frame acceleration. The double approach, by test and with a numerical model, allows a better knowledge of this critical phenomenon.

Keywords: lift safety gear; lifts; damage evaluation; elevators; accumulated damage; FEM; finite element method; gripping phase; strain evaluation; car frame acceleration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMSI.2008.020723

International Journal of Materials and Structural Integrity, 2008 Vol.2 No.3, pp.291 - 317

Published online: 12 Oct 2008 *

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