Hitachi claims record with ultra-high-speed elevator
Public accreditation body in China records 1,260m/min in speed test at Guangzhou tower
Hitachi has announced that its ultra-high-speed elevator has achieved a speed of 1,260m/min, which is the world’s fastest among all elevators operating today.
The speed was recorded during a test of the elevator under installation at the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, a skyscraper complex building in China, said a statement from the Japanese industrial giant.
In May 2016, the ultra-high-speed elevator reached 1,200m/min as its rated speed. The elevator that marked the world’s fastest speed at that time is now in the final adjustment phase and Hitachi has been pursuing even higher speeds, modifying control units and safety devices for the elevator. During an on-site test, it achieved its running speed of 1,260m/min, which has been recorded by the National Elevator Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (Guang Dong), a public accreditation body of elevators.
While the test was conducted for the purpose of technology development of Hitachi elevators, the elevators in the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre will run at their rated speeds of 1,200m/min when they go into service, added Hitachi.
The company said it will utilise this achievement for future product development, and strive to offer elevators with higher running quality as well as safety and comfort.
Some of the features of the record-setting elevator include a permanent magnet synchronous motor to achieve both a thinner profile and higher output power, a compact traction machine realised by adopting main ropes with higher strength and lighter weight, and a space-saving control unit with inverters that possesses one of the world’s highest capacities for elevators
Hitachi added that safety features supporting the ultra-high-speed elevator operation include brake equipment using materials with outstanding heat resistance and the achievement of both safety and space-saving by a single governor that can correspond to different rated speeds for ascending and descending
Active guide rollers are also installed in the four corners of the elevator car to absorb vibration during high speed operation, as is Hitachi’s original air pressure adjustment technology to ease ear blockage by reducing the changes in air pressure inside the elevator car.
