Model Elevator Design
- Radhika Thakur
- May 1, 2020
- 2 min read
For the final year project of my Master's Degree Program, I worked on a project where I designed and fabricated a model elevator.
Mechanical Scope:
The project began by learning CAD software such as SolidWorks and AutoCad for solid modelling and 2D Drawings.
Constrained motion of the Elevator Cabin
Motorized Motion of the Door
Automatic locking of floor doors in the absence of the cabin
Manufacturing and Assembly of Model
The aim of this project was to familiarize myself with mechanical design, solid modelling using CAD (such as SolidWorks, AutoCad) and employ various manufacturing processes.
Constrained motion of the Elevator Cabin
To achieve the vertical motion of the cabin box we chose a commonly used mechanism in real-life elevators:
This simple mechanism consists of a motor that drives a pulley, on which a string/ rope is spooled.
This mechanism also consists of a dead-weight/ counter-weight reducing the effective load on the motor.
A motor is coupled to a pulley on which there are two groups, each group spooling a different string.
The terminating end of each string is knotted through the holes to ensure positive engagement i.e. to avoid slippage.
The two separate groves prevent the entanglement between the strings.
Motion of the Door
The door motion is motorized using rack and pinion to convert rotary motion into linear motion.
Rack and pinion mechanism for opening and closing of cabin doors.
The motor is coupled to the pinion and mounted atop the cabin. The rack is attached to the door with an adhesive.
The motor rotates the pinion, it causes the cabin door to move sideways.
The channels to hold the doors and the part used to mount the motor were designed and 3D printed in-house.
Automatic Door Locking
This mechanism is safety feature that prevents the opening of the floor door in the absence of the cabin on the said floor. The mechanism consists of a lever, torsion spring, a hinge bracket on each floor, two small protrusions on each floor door (for locking the lever) and an arm on the side face of the cabin box.
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