Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 38, September 21, 2024
(a)
Construction. Elevator cars shall have metal car frames and
outside frames of platforms with a safety factor of not less than five, based
on the rated load. Cast iron shall not be used in the construction of any
member of the car frame or platform other than for guide shoes and guide shoes
brackets, nor shall glass be used in an elevator car except for car lights and
appliances necessary to the operation of the car. Cars shall have only one
compartment.
(b)
Enclosure.
Except at the entrance, cars shall be enclosed at the sides and top.
The enclosure at the sides shall be solid or of open work which will reject a
ball of 1/2 inch diameter. The car enclosure shall be secured in such a manner
that it may not work loose or become displaced in regular service.
(c)
Gates. A car door or
gate shall be provided at each entrance to a car as follows:
(1) The door or gate shall, when closed,
guard the opening to a height of at least five feet, six inches, and, if on an
electric or electrically-controlled hydraulic elevator, shall be provided with
an electric contact which prevents operation of the elevator unless the car
door or gate is within two inches of full closure. Car doors or gates may be
horizontal or vertical sliding.
(2)
The car door or gate shall be manually operated.
(3) Car gates shall be of such a design that
when fully expanded they will reject a three inch ball.
(4) Car door or gate contacts shall be
positively opened by a lever or other device attached to and operated by the
door or gate and shall not be solely dependent on gravity or springs or both
for their opening.
(5) Car door or
gate contracts shall be maintained in the open position by the action of
gravity or a restrained compression spring or both, or by means of a positive
linkage.
(d)
Light. There shall be an electric light to illuminate the car,
with its switch placed near the car entrance within easy reach of a person
before entering the car.
(e)
Safety. Elevator cars suspended by wire ropes or chains shall
be provided with a car safety located beneath the car platform and capable of
stopping and sustaining the car with contract load, as follows:
(1) The car safety shall be of a type
operated as the result of the breaking of the suspension means, or by a speed
governor. If of the speed governor type, it shall operate to set the safety at
the maximum speed of 175 feet per minute, except that on breaking the hoist
ropes, the safety shall operate without appreciable delay and independently of
the governor speed action.
(2) If a
speed governor is used, it shall be located where it may not be struck by the
car or counterweight in case of overtravel and where there is sufficient space
for full movement of the governor parts.
(3) The motor control circuit and the brake
control circuit shall be opened before or at the same time the safety
applies.
(4) The governor cable
shall be of iron, steel, monel metal, or phosphor bronze, not less than 1/4
inch in diameter. Tiller rope construction shall not be used for governor
ropes.
(5) Elevators of the winding
drum type with wire rope suspension shall be provided with a slack rope device
of the manually reset type which cuts off the power and stops the elevator
machine if the car is obstructed in its descent and the hoist ropes slacken.
When the car is suspended by chains, slack chain devices shall be provided
which cut off the power and stop the elevator machine if the car is obstructed
in its descent and the suspension chains slacken. This device is not required
to be of the manually reset type if the chain sprockets are guarded to prevent
the chain from jumping off the sprockets.
(6) No safety device which depends upon the
completion and maintenance of an electric circuit for the application of the
safety shall be used. Car safeties shall be applied mechanically. Cast iron
shall not be used in the construction of a car safety when its breakage may
result in the failure of the safety to function to sustain the car.
(f)
Tests. Tests
of the car safety described in subsection (e), with contract load in the car,
shall be made before the elevator is put into service. Governor operation of
instantaneous-type safeties shall be tested at contract speed by tripping the
governor by hand. Safeties operated as the result of the breaking of the hoist
ropes shall be tested by obtaining the necessary slack rope to cause them to
function.
(g)
Capacity
plates. A metal plate shall be fastened in a conspicuous place in the
car stating the contract load in pounds, in letters and figures not less than
1/4 inch in height.
(h)
Emergency signal. An emergency signal shall be provided
operative from the car, and audible outside the hoistway and may be a telephone
connected to a central exchange.
