What Is an Escalator Chain?
Escalators are moving ramps or sidewalks that carry people horizontally along slight inclines. They move at up to 120 feet (36 m) per minute, with larger types capable of transporting 6,000 passengers per hour.
Escalators consist of a frame, drive unit, tread plates, and handrails. They have a safety switch that stops the device in case a chain breaks, a handrail breaks or a side panel is deflected.
The Steps
Escalator chains move people between floors, levels, or decks within buildings or other structures that have several stories. They are most commonly found in subways, airports, and department stores, but they can also be installed in residential homes.
A typical escalator consists of a truss and curved tracks that run up and down the sides. Each curved section of the track is called a “platform.” These platforms house the stair track and gears that drive the stairs up. The top platform typically carries the motor assembly and the main drive gear, while the bottom holds the return step sprockets.
Each step has two sets of wheels that roll along separate tracks, which are spaced apart in such a way that the steps remain level at both ends of the escalator. The first set of wheels is connected to the rotating chains and is pulled by the drive gear at the top of the escalator.
The second set of wheels simply glides along its track, following behind the first set. This arrangement allows each step to keep a consistent height, so passengers can walk smoothly on the escalator without falling.
At the end of the track, the steps pass through a curved section of track, which bends them into a stair shape. They then pass through another curved section of track and exit the bottom landing.
To prevent people from slipping off the escalator, it is often equipped with antislide devices, which are raised circular objects that stud the balustrade. They are sometimes called hockey pucks because of their appearance.
Each escalator also has a stop button that is pressed to stop the chain. This is usually located at the top or bottom of the escalator, and is usually covered with a transparent plastic guard plate to make it easy for passengers to see.
An escalator is a great way to travel quickly from one floor to the next. It is especially useful for people who have difficulty walking. Besides being safe, escalators are aesthetically pleasing and can be made in any color and style to suit the architecture of a building. They are also very environmentally friendly, as they do not require any oil lubrication or grease.
The Tracks
The tracks of an escalator chain are a key component to the escalator chain operation and safety of an escalator. They provide a smooth path for passengers and other people moving up and down the escalator.
Often, escalators are designed to have different types of tracks. Some are simply used to carry passenger steps while others are designed to funnel visitors towards exhibits or exits. In either case, the location of the escalator and its traffic patterns are important to consider before designing the tracks for the escalator.
Another important factor is the amount of direct step support that is provided to each step along the escalator’s conveyance path. This may be less in some regions of the escalator’s conveyance pattern than it is in other regions, because the steps are supported by the drive belt.
One way to mitigate this problem is to use a belt wheel(s) to support the escalator steps as they travel along the conveyance path. These wheels can provide additional points of belt contact or longer regions of belt contact, which will help to reduce the amount of friction that is caused by the drive belt and therefore increase the escalator’s efficiency.
In some cases, curved escalators may also be used to help mitigate this problem. Generally, a curved escalator will have a dip zone and step reversal zone that help to tip the steps as they pass over the turnaround sprockets.
These dip zones and reversal zones can be made of steel or aluminum alloys and may have either an inner or outer track. The inner track is preferably curvilinear while the outer track is typically rectangular.
This allows the escalator to maintain its curve when moving down the stairs. It can also be a good way to reduce the number of sharp changes in direction that the drive belt has to go through as the steps move down the escalator’s stairs.
The reversal zones are also usually arranged to prevent the escalator from overturning. Having the reversal zone and dip zones arranged to prevent an overturning of the escalator is important because it can help to avoid accidents.
The Motor
Escalators are used in shopping malls, airports, and other public transportation facilities to carry people from one floor to another. Their motors drive two pairs of gears at the top, which rotate the chain loops that move the steps. A typical escalator uses a 100 horsepower electric motor to turn the gears.
The motors of escalators can vary in power and size, but generally use the same system of two chains, looped around two sets of gears. The motors are housed inside a truss, a metal structure that extends between two floors.
There are many different types of escalator chains, depending on their function and purpose. Some are used to transport passengers while others are used to move heavy machinery.
These chains are primarily made of steel, and are usually designed to be durable and withstand high loads. They are also designed to be quiet, and to move people with minimal vibration.
To make sure that the escalator can perform its function without any problems, it needs to be properly maintained and repaired. This means that the motor base and the chain must be properly tightened so that they operate at their optimal level.
In addition to this, it is important to ensure that the chain itself is in good condition. If the escalator chain is not in good condition, it could be unsafe for passengers to ride on it, and it may even become damaged or break down.
Therefore, it is necessary to check the condition of the escalator chain before installing it. It should be cleaned thoroughly and dried to ensure that it is free from any rust or other corrosion.
If the escalator chain is in good condition, it should not be damaged and will work well. If it is in poor condition, however, it will need to be replaced immediately.
The escalator chain is made of steel and is usually designed to be durable and withstand high weights. It is also designed to be quiet, and to move the people on it with minimal vibration.
Besides the escalator chain, there are other components that need to be checked for the escalator to function properly. These include the handrails, steps, handrail drive, electric motor, drive gear, chain guide, return wheel and inner rail.
The Handrails
Handrails are required on both sides of the escalator steps to ensure that passengers can maintain their balance as they move up and down the steps. They also prevent the occurrence of a fall due to the weight of an escalator passenger. The handrails are made of rubber-coated fabric and are typically T-shaped.
Various types of handrails are known to be used in escalators but many of these are subject to high maintenance due to frequent use and mechanical failure. These problems are especially prevalent in mass transit facilities where there are often a large number of modular escalators installed.
To address these problems the present invention combines a high-strength rubber composite with a stretch inhibitor to provide an improved handrail structure. This structure has a lower initial lip distortion and a longer run time than the conventional handrail. In addition, it has a significantly higher lip strength.
This improvement in the handrail structure is achieved by incorporating a stretch inhibitor into the body stock near the inner surface of the handrail. This inhibitor may be a escalator chain wire cable or any other standard type of tensile reinforcement member. The tensile member is selected so as to be spaced apart a greater distance in the transverse portion of the handrail than in the opposing lip portion.
The improved handrail is then molded into a C-shaped shape with the stretch inhibitor positioned between the two plies of the rubber composite. This construction can be fabricated using either thermoset or thermoplastic elastomer compounds.
In this manner the rubber compound is shaped, consolidated and cured before being assembled into a handrail. During testing the structure was bent forward and backward around a laboratory circular bending jig of 24 inches diameter. The test data are listed in Table 2.
In the forward bending test it took considerably less force to bend the improved structure than the conventional handrail. This is believed to be a result of the principal yarns being at right angles to the stretch inhibitor. The reduced tensile resistance also contributes to the increased lateral stiffness of the improved structure.
