Elevator lateral guide rail forces

[DETstru]

Hey all,

I'm trying to get a rough size for a guide rail support post for an elevator. I don't have elevator info yet. Floor to floor is 26 feet so I'm concerned with meeting the tight deflection limits for a long span.

I don't need to fully size the support posts yet. I just want to work out roughly how deep the section will end up being. I'm thinking pretty deep. Does anyone have a recent number they've used for a lateral reaction at a guide rail support? I'll probably double or triple it just to be safe for now, until I get elevator info.

Typically I don't worry about the reaction because most of the buildings I do are 9' floor to floor and often don't even need a guide rail support post. So I don't have a recent elevator cut sheet to look at.

thanks!

 

[structSU10]

My most recent one had about 500# for the car and 250# for the counterweight. Generally the rails can go 10-12'. You should only need to consider it from one side and at one point at a time. I suppose doubling the load as if one is pulling and the other is pushing at midspan may be appropriate. Deflection limit of 1/8" is typical for the force as well.

 

[phamENG]

It's very dependent on car size. Is this a little 2100lb elevator or a 5000? Or is it a freight elevator in a big, open warehouse?

Your best bet might be to pull out ASME 17.1 and run through the calc real quick to get a good feel for where it will be for the size elevator you're dealing with. OR, tell the architect you need a basis of design drawing for the elevator to start designing that portion of the building. That's what I usually do. They often have a recent job that's similar and can provide you with the forces from that one. They'll usually be pretty close.