Elevator Guide Rail Supports Deflection Requirement
Elevator Guide Rail Supports Deflection Requirement
(OP)
I am tasked with designing some HSS members to support the elevator guide rails on a building with high floor-to-floor (24 ft). The elevator rails cannot span this distance on their own and so we would like to use HSS6x6 columns to support the rails. The issue is deflection. The elevator manufacturer states we need to limit deflection to 1/8". With a 24 ft span and a seismic load of nearly 4000 lbs, a HSS6x6 is not even close to working. My question is two fold:
1) Is anyone familiar with the elevator code and where the 1/8" deflection limit comes from and if this applies to the member supporting the rail?
2) Are the seismic rail reactions provided by elevator manufacturers at a factored level meaning we can divide them by 1.4 for deflection calculations?
1) Is anyone familiar with the elevator code and where the 1/8" deflection limit comes from and if this applies to the member supporting the rail?
2) Are the seismic rail reactions provided by elevator manufacturers at a factored level meaning we can divide them by 1.4 for deflection calculations?






RE: Elevator Guide Rail Supports Deflection Requirement
Perhaps you could meet the requirement by attaching the rail high and low on the HSS's rather than at mid-height.
I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.
RE: Elevator Guide Rail Supports Deflection Requirement
RE: Elevator Guide Rail Supports Deflection Requirement
RE: Elevator Guide Rail Supports Deflection Requirement
RE: Elevator Guide Rail Supports Deflection Requirement
1/8" for non-seismic deflection per 2.23.5.2 of ASME A17.1
1/4" for seismic deflection per 8.4.8.2 of ASME A17.1
Believe they were referencing the 2010 incarnation, if that makes a difference.
These guys originally just gave me the 1/8" number similar to you and I asked them to clarify if that included seismic and they gave me the separate 1/4" value that KootK had indicated above for the seismic cases.