A lifting member for an elevator system includes a rope formed from plurality of load carrying fibers extending along a length of the lifting member. The plurality of load carrying fibers including a plurality of aromatic polyester based fibers. A coating layer at least partially encapsulates the rope. An elevator system includes a hoistway, an elevator car disposed in the hoistway and movable therein, and a lifting member operably connected to the elevator car to suspend and/or drive the elevator car along the hoistway. The lifting member includes a rope formed from plurality of load carrying fibers extending along a length of the lifting member. The plurality of load carrying fibers including a plurality of aromatic polyester based fibers. A coating layer at least partially encapsulates the rope.

The invention relates to a drive belt for a traction mechanism drive, having a radially externally arranged top layer (4) composed of a fiber-containing elastomer or of an elastomer comprising a fiber mesh, having a radially centrally arranged tension member layer (6) composed of a wound tension strand or a plurality of circumferentially oriented tension strands, and a radially internally arranged substructure (8) composed of an elastomer, wherein at least one wedge-shaped rib is integrally formed in the substructure (8), a coating layer (10) composed of a circumferentially open fiber mesh being applied to the outer surfaces of said wedge-shaped rib. In order to prevent an abrupt change in the friction coefficient at the force-transmitting flanks of the ribs, provision is made for the circumferential ends (12, 14) of the coating layer (10) and a parting joint (16), which is filled by the elastomer of the substructure (8), between said circumferential ends (12, 14) of the coating layer (10) to be covered with a transverse strip (18) composed of a vulcanizable material, wherein said vulcanizable material has a reduced friction coefficient in relation to the elastomer of the substructure (8).

An electrical monitoring connector for electrically monitoring the health of electrically conductive tension members in an elevator hoisting member includes a housing for insertion therein of a terminal end of an elevator hoisting member, and an elastomeric connector block inside the housing having a plurality of alternating electrically conductive and non-conductive layers. The connector block is slidable within the housing, and configured to be both electrically connected to active health monitoring equipment and biased by a spring against exposed cut ends of the plurality of electrically conductive tension members, when the terminal end of the elevator hoisting member is inserted in the housing, so as to make electrical connections between the exposed ends of the tension members and only those of the electrically conductive layers that are aligned and make contact therewith, to permit monitoring signals from the health monitoring equipment to be sent down the tension members.

A belt of an elevator system includes one or more tension elements extending longitudinally along a length of the belt, and an elastomeric jacket at least partially enveloping the one or more tension elements. The jacket defines a traction side configured to be interactive with a traction sheave of the elevator system and a back side opposite the traction side. A protective tape is applied to the elastomeric jacket at the back side. A method of assembling an elevator system includes forming a belt, and installing the belt in a hoistway of the elevator system. One or more additional components of the elevator system are installed in the hoistway. A protective tape is removed from a jacket of the belt after installation of the one or more additional components is completed.

An illustrative example embodiment of a method provides control over a temperature of a jacket on an elevator tension member that includes at least one electrically conductive cord that is at least partially covered by the jacket. The method includes determining an amount of electrical energy needed to achieve a desired temperature of the jacket and supplying the determined amount of electrical energy to the electrically conductive cord.

A belt for an elevator system includes a plurality of tension members arranged along a belt width and extending longitudinally along a length of the belt and a jacket at least partially enclosing the plurality of tension members. The jacket defining a traction side of the belt configured to interface with a traction sheave of an elevator system. The jacket includes a base material layer, and a coating layer positioned over the base material layer formed from a self-extinguishing fluoroelastomer material. A method of forming a belt for an elevator system includes forming a plurality of tension members and encapsulating the plurality of tension members in a jacket. The jacket includes a base material layer and a coating layer formed from the self-extinguishing fluoroelastomer material.

A tension member for an elevator system includes one or more tension elements extending along a length of the tension member, and one or more a wave guide regions secured to at least one surface of the tension member or integral to the tension member and extending along the length of the tension member. The one or more wave guide regions are configured for transmission of a radio frequency (RF) data signal along the one or more wave guide regions.

Methods and devices detect a deterioration state of a load bearing capacity in an elevator suspension member arrangement having several suspension members, such as belts, including electrically conductive cords incorporated into an elastomer material. Deterioration is determined by applying alternating electric voltages to the cords included in legs of a circuitry. Phase shifts between the alternating voltages, for example by determining sum voltages and/or differential voltages, provide valuable information about a condition of the belt. A fixation arrangement of the suspension member arrangement is adapted to enable or simplify the proposed measurements. Furthermore, counting a number of performed bending cycles provides further information to be taken into account for determining the current deterioration state of the belts. Overall, deteriorations in a suspension member such as broken cords, shunts between cords, connections between cords and ground potential and/or deterioration due to corrosion of cords may be easily detected.

A termination device for a suspension member of an elevator system includes a housing and a wedge assembly located in the housing. The wedge assembly includes a wedge interactive with the housing to apply a clamping force to the suspension member in response to an axial load acting on the suspension member and a compliant shear element secured to the wedge or the suspension member and configured to reduce shear loads on the suspension member.

A belt for an elevator system includes a plurality of tension members arranged along a belt width and extending longitudinally along a length of the belt. Each tension member includes a plurality of first fibers, and a plurality of second fibers different from the first fibers dispersed into the first fibers. A jacket material at least partially encapsulates the plurality of tension members. An elevator system includes a hoistway, an elevator car located in the hoistway and movable therein, and a belt operably connected to the elevator car to suspend and/or drive the elevator car along the hoistway. The belt includes a plurality of tension members arranged along a belt width and extending longitudinally along a length of the belt. Each tension member includes a plurality of first fibers and a plurality of second fibers different from the first fibers dispersed into the first fibers.