Detailed Explanation of Elevator Guide System

The main function of the Elevator guide system is to ensure that the elevator car and counterweight run smoothly along the fixed slideway - the guide rail in the hoistway.

The guide system consists of key components such as guide rails, guide shoes and guide rail brackets.

●‌Guide rails‌: The guide rails are the guide devices for the operation of the elevator car and counterweight, ensuring that the elevator moves along the correct path. The guide rails are usually composed of steel rails and connecting plates, installed in the hoistway to ensure the position and movement direction of the elevator in the hoistway. (The following content will focus on this)

●Guide shoes‌: The guide shoes are installed on the car and counterweight frame, and work closely with the guide rails to ensure that the movement of the elevator is completely subject to the guidance of the guide rails. There are two types of guide shoes: sliding and rollers, each with its own advantages.

●Guide rail brackets‌: These brackets are fixed to the hoistway wall or beam to support and fix the guide rails, ensuring the stability of the guide rails and the safety of the elevator operation.

Function of the guide system

The main function of the guide system is to limit the freedom of movement of the car and counterweight so that they can only move up and down along the guide rails. Through the close cooperation of these components, the guide system ensures the precise and safe operation of the elevator in the shaft.

Guide rails
● Guide rail features
(1) Guide rails and guide shoes are the guiding parts of the elevator car and counterweight.
(2) Guide rail types: T-type, L-type (low speed), grooved, and other.

The working surfaces of the latter three types of guide rails are generally not processed. They are usually used for some elevators with low progress and low requirements for running stability, such as utility ladders and construction engineering ladders. A. The first type (T-type) guide rail is used in the largest number of elevators. The elevator guide rails we usually refer to generally refer to this type of guide rail. It has good bending resistance and good machinability.

B. The main parameters of T-type guide rails are: bottom width b, height h and working surface thickness k.b*k*h. Commonly used guide rails are T75, T89, T127, and T140.

(3) The length of the guide rail is generally 3~5m. Direct connection by welding and bolts is not allowed. Special connecting plates are required.

(4) There are requirements for the material, surface roughness, and installation accuracy of the guide rail.

●Installation requirements for guide rail brackets
The first guide rail bracket should be less than 1000mm from the bottom pit floor, and the highest guide rail bracket should be less than 500mm from the top floor of the shaft.

The position layout of the guide rail bracket must fully consider that the position of the guide rail connecting plate cannot interfere with each other, so it must be pre-assembled or accurately calculated.

Each guide rail should have at least two guide rail brackets with a spacing of <2.5m and the non-levelness of the guide rail bracket is <1.5%.