An elevator tension member is presented that has one or more steel cords as strength members that are encased in a jacket of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer is selected on the basis of its thermal properties in that the glass transition temperature of the hard phase (Tg HS) is above 90° C. In preferential embodiments that thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer has a crystallisation temperature (Tg) that is at least 20° C. higher than Tg HS. In other preferential embodiments the sum of Tg HS and Tc is higher than 200° C. Such thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers exhibit an unexpected increase in useful lifetime when compared to conventionally used polyurethanes. Moreover the invention provides a simple method to select an appropriate thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer.

An elevator system includes a hoistway, an elevator car movable along the hoistway, and one or more belts operably connected to the elevator car to propel the elevator car along the hoistway. A belt of the one or more belts includes one or more tension elements extending along a belt length, and a jacket at least partially encapsulating the one or more tension elements. The jacket includes a jacket base formed from a first material and one or more insert layers embedded in the jacket base material. The one or more insert layers have a corrugated shape along the belt length, and are formed from a second material different from the first material.

A suspension member arrangement for an elevator includes a suspension member having a plurality of electrically conductive load-bearing cords commonly embedded in an electrically isolating matrix material, a first connector and a second connector each attached to the suspension member and electrically contacting the cords within the suspension member in a contacted end region thereof. The first connector electrically contacts and electrically interconnects in parallel a first group of the cords being a first plurality of directly neighboring ones of the cords. The second connector electrically contacts and electrically interconnects in parallel a second group of the cords being a second plurality of directly neighboring ones of the cords. The suspension member arrangement facilitates electrically contacting the cords of the suspension member using a simple type of connector whereby deteriorations in characteristics of the suspension member can be electrically detected with high accuracy.

A load bearing tension member for an elevator system includes a plurality of tension elements arrayed across a tension member width. The tension elements are offset from a tension member central axis, the central axis bisecting a tension member thickness and extending across the tension member width. The tension elements include a plurality of fibers extending along a length of the tension element, and a matrix material in which the plurality of fibers are embedded. A jacket at least partially encapsulates the plurality of tension elements.

A belt (30) for suspending and/or driving an elevator car (14) includes a plurality of tension elements (32) extending longitudinally along a length of the belt, at least one tension element of the plurality of tension elements having one or more tension element coating layers (46) applied thereto. A plurality of fibers are interlaced with the plurality of tension elements forming a composite belt structure. A belt coating (44) at least partially encapsulates the composite belt structure.

Provided is a rope including a load supporting member and a covering member covering an outer periphery of the load supporting member. The load supporting member includes: an impregnation material and reinforcement fiber bodies, which continuously extend in a longitudinal direction of the rope, are embedded in the impregnation material, and are configured to support a load acting in the longitudinal direction. The reinforcement fiber bodies include corrugated reinforcement fiber bodies which have, at least in part, a corrugated shape in a section parallel to the longitudinal direction. The corrugated reinforcement fiber bodies have such a length that a total length thereof given when the corrugated reinforcement fiber bodies are straightened is equal to or larger than 1.1 times a total length of the load supporting member.

A belt for use as for example an elevator belt, flat belt, synchronous belt or toothed belt comprises steel strands held in parallel by a polymer jacket. The steel strands have a diameter ‘D’ and are separated by a pitch ‘p’. The ratio of diameter ‘D’ over pitch ‘p’ is larger than 0.55. Such belt arrangement prevents the cutting of the polymer jacket between strand and pulley and abates the noise generation during use. The belts are best built with a type of parallel lay strands particularly designed for use in a belt. These strands do not show core migration during use of the belt.

A tension member for an elevator system has an aspect ratio of greater than one, where aspect ratio is defined as the ratio of tension member width w to thickness t (w/t). The increase in aspect ratio results in a reduction in the maximum rope pressure and an increased flexibility as compared to conventional elevator ropes. As a result, smaller sheaves may be used with this type of tension member. In a particular embodiment, the tension member includes a plurality of individual load carrying cords encased within a common layer of coating. The coating layer separates the individual cords and defines an engagement surface for engaging a traction sheave.

An elevator installation and method to passively and reliably generate electrical energy while the elevator installation is in operation utilizes piezoelectric layers. The elevator installation includes an elevator car, a tension member for supporting and moving the elevator car, and a pulley engaging with the tension member wherein the pulley has a piezoelectric layer positioned such that any force imparted to the pulley during engagement with the tension member compresses the piezoelectric layer. As the tension member is driven to move the elevator car up and down along an elevator hoistway it also engages with the rotating pulley. Force imparted to the pulley during this engagement with the tension member compresses the piezoelectric layer which consequently generates electrical energy.

A wire rope for elevator systems used to hoist, compensate, and govern an elevator car. The wire rope may include six to ten outer steel strands surrounding a central braided polyester core. The wire rope may include six to ten outer steel strands and six to ten inner steel strands surrounding a central braided polyester core. The braided polyester core may include 8-24 single- or double-braided outer strands surrounding a polyester core center that may include parallel fibers, twisted fibers, twisted strands, single-braided strands, or double-braided strands.