Mitsubishi Electric Corp announced the overview of its ultra-high-speed elevator developed for the 632-meter Shanghai Tower under construction in Shanghai, China.
For the traction motor of the elevator, Mitsubishi Electric employed a parallel drive system that uses two three-phase winding coils for each motor and controls the two three-phases with two control panels. By using two compact control panels, the company enabled to design the layout of a machinery room more freely while increasing output power. The operation of the elevator is scheduled to begin in 2014.
To realize the world's fastest speed of 1,080 m per minute, Mitsubishi Electric used new technologies for higher safety, lifting height and comfort as well as for the motor for the winch. Specifically, to enhance safety, the company employed a two-tiered brake (the company's former product has a one-tiered brake) for emergency stop and used fine ceramic with a heat resistance of up to about 1,000°C for the brake shoe.
The buffer (shock absorber) at the bottom of the elevator shaft is comprised of three tiers (the former product has a one-tiered butter) and has a stroke of 7.3 meters, which is about 30% shorter than the stroke of the former product's buffer.
For the "sfleX-rope," a rope for the winch, Mitsubishi Electric employed a new structure so that it can hold a greater weight of a longer rope. The company improved the density of the rope by using a concentric-layered steel wire and filled the gap between the layers with plastic.
As a result, the company increased breaking load by 85% while increasing mass per unit length only by 18%. The new rope is less extensible. So, when people get in the elevator, it does not shake vertically much.
This time, Mitsubishi Electric newly developed a control cable that is 20% lighter than the one used for the former product.
For the comfort, the new elevator is equipped with the "active roller guide," which detects vibration and applies anti-phase vibration to it so that the vibration of the car is reduced. While two units of the active roller guide are installed in the bottom of the former product, Mitsubishi Electric added two more to the upper side of the new elevator because a different type of vibration is applied to the new product when it is moving at an ultra-high speed. As a result, vibration was reduced to about 1/3 that of the former product.
Furthermore, the new elevator is equipped with a streamlined aerodynamic car cover that reduces air resistance as well as an air pressure control device consisting of an air blower, a duct and a box for switching between air intake and emission. As a result, rapid changes in atmospheric pressure can be prevented, reducing passengers' feeling of fullness in the ear. BD+C
Related Stories
| Jan 9, 2015
Nonresidential construction hiring surges in December 2014
The U.S. construction industry added 48,000 jobs in December, including 22,800 jobs in nonresidential construction, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimate released Jan. 9.Â
| Jan 9, 2015
10 surprising lessons Perkins+Will has learned about workplace projects
P+W's Janice Barnes shares some of most unexpected lessons from her firm's work on office design projects, including the importance of post-occupancy evaluations and having a cohesive transition strategy for workers.
| Jan 9, 2015
Technology and media tenants, not financial companies, fill up One World Trade Center
The financial sector has almost no presence in the new tower, with creative and media companies, such as magazine publisher Conde Nast, dominating the vast majority of leased space.
| Jan 8, 2015
Microsoft shutters classic clipart gallery: Reaction from a graphic designer
Microsoft shut down its tried-and-true clipart gallery, ridding the world not only of a trope of graphic design, but a nostalgic piece of digital design history, writes HDR's Dylan Coonrad.
| Jan 8, 2015
The future of alternative work spaces: open-access markets, co-working, and in-between spaces
During the past five years, people have begun to actively seek out third places not just to get a day’s work done, but to develop businesses of a new kind and establish themselves as part of a real-time conversation of diverse entrepreneurs, writes Gensler's Shawn Gehle.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2015
NIBS report: Small commercial buildings offer huge energy efficiency retrofit opportunities
The report identifies several barriers to investment in such retrofits, such as the costs and complexity associated with relatively small loan sizes, and issues many small-building owners have in understanding and trusting predicted retrofit outcomes.
| Jan 7, 2015
University of Chicago releases proposed sites for Obama library bid
There are two proposed sites for the plan, both owned by the Chicago Park District in Chicago’s South Side, near the university’s campus in Hyde Park, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
| Jan 7, 2015
4 audacious projects that could transform Houston
Converting the Astrodome to an urban farm and public park is one of the proposals on the table in Houston, according to news site Houston CultureMap.
| Jan 7, 2015
How you can help improve the way building information is shared
PDFs are the de facto format for digital construction documentation. Yet, there is no set standard for how to produce PDFs for a project, writes Skanska's Kyle Hughes.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2015
Best practices for urban infill development: Embrace the region's character, master the pedestrian experience
If an urban building isn’t grounded in the local region’s character, it will end up feeling generic and out-of-place. To do urban infill the right way, it’s essential to slow down and pay proper attention to the context of an urban environment, writes GS&P's Joe Bucher.