Ding! Going Up? Elevators and Engineering
An example elevator in Portland, OR (left). A diagram of an elevator and its components (right).Copyright 2012 Another Believer, Wikimedia Commons (left), Federal Emergency Management Agency (right) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montgomery_Park,_Portland,_OR_2012_-_elevators.JPG http://www.fema.gov/earthquake/fema-e-74-reducing-risks-nonstructural-earthquake-damage-34
Students create model elevator carriages and calibrate them, similar to the work of design and quality control engineers. Students use measurements from rotary encoders to recreate the task of calibrating elevators for a high-rise building. They translate the rotations from an encoder to correspond to the heights of different floors in a hypothetical multi-story building. Students also determine the accuracy of their model elevators in getting passengers to their correct destinations.
Engineers who design convenient transportation equipment for daily use by thousands of people must also ensure the public's safety. The widespread use of escalators, moving walkways and elevators in buildings, airports and skyscrapers has created the demand for machines that operate effectively, accurately and dependably under high-traffic flow. Engineers devise many control theories and devices to guarantee people get to their destinations safely and timely.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Identify the control device used in elevators, escalators and moving walkways.
- Explain how engineers use these control devices to guarantee that people arrive safely at their destinations.
- Define and explain calibration, control devices and rotary encoders.