ESCALATOR OF KMS ENGINEERING
An escalator is a moving staircase that carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track that cycle on a pair of tracks that keep them horizontal.
It is often used around the world in places where lifts would be impractical, or they can be used in conjunction with them. Principal areas of usage include department stores, shopping malls, airports, transit systems (railway/railroad stations), convention centers, hotels, arenas, stadiums, and public buildings.
Design, components, and operation
It’s typically rise at an angle of about 30 degrees from the ground. They move at 0.3–0.6 meters per second (1–2 ft/s) – like moving walkways, and may traverse vertical distances over 18 meters (60 ft). It has single-piece aluminum or stainless steel steps that move on a system of tracks in a continuous loop.
Different types in the following way
- Parallel (up and down adjacent or nearby, often seen in perpendicular areas, metro stations, and multilevel movie theaters)
- Crisscross (direction oriented adjacent but perpendicular, frequently used in department stores or shopping centers).
Design and layout considerations
Design factors include physical requirements, location, traffic patterns, safety considerations, and esthetics. Physical factors such as the distance to be spanned determine the length and pitch of the escalator, while factors such as the infrastructure’s ability to provide support and power must be considered. How upward and downward traffic is separated and load/unload areas are other important considerations.
Temporal traffic patterns must be anticipated. The visibility and accessibility of the escalator to traffic are relevant. Designers need to account for the projected traffic volumes. For example, a single-width escalator traveling at about 0.5 meters per second (1+1⁄2 ft./s) can move about 2000 people per hour, assuming that passengers ride single file.
It’s carrying capacity system is typically matched to the expected peak traffic demand. For example, It’s at transit stations must be designed to cater to the peak traffic flow discharged from a train, without excessive bunching at entrance.
Components Landing platforms
Landing platforms are the two platforms (at the two ends) that house the curved sections of the tracks, as well as the gears and motors that drive the stairs. The top platform usually contains the motor assembly and the main drive gear, while the bottom holds the returned gear. These sections also anchor the ends of this truss. Each platform also has a floor and a comb plate. The interlocking cleats help to minimize the gap between the stairs and the landing, preventing objects or persons from becoming caught in them.