An elevator test tower is a structure usually 100 to over 200 metres (300 feet to over 600 feet) tall that is designed to evaluate the stress and fatigue limits of specific elevator cars in a controlled environment. Tests are also carried out in the test tower to ensure reliability and safety in current elevator designs and address any failures that may arise.[1]
Examples of an elevator test tower are the National Lift Tower in Northampton, England; the Solae Tower in Inazawa, Japan; and the TK Elevator Test Tower in Rottweil, Germany (owned by ThyssenKrupp).
History
editIn 1888, Otis completed an elevator test tower at their factory in Yonkers, New York; this was possibly the first elevator test tower in the United States.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Prisco, Jacopo (2024-11-06). "The skyscrapers where nobody lives". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ Lee Edward Gray (2002). From Ascending Rooms to Express Elevators: A History of the Passenger Elevator in the 19th Century. Elevator World Inc. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-886536-46-3.
An important aspect of this effort was the use of what was perhaps the first elevator test tower built in the U.S. The tower, completed in 1888, was built as part of a major expansion of the factory in Yonkers and was used as the final test arena for the first Otis electric elevators manufactured for a specific customer.
