A belt for an elevator system including a plurality of tension members arranged along a belt width and a jacket material at least partially encapsulating the plurality of tension members defining a traction surface interactive with a traction sheave of an elevator system and a back surface opposite the traction surface. The back surface includes a belt guide feature extending along a belt length and interactive with a complimentary guide sheave feature of a guide sheave of the elevator system to orient the belt to a selected location during operation of the elevator system.

A hoisting device rope has a width larger than a thickness thereof in a transverse direction of the rope. The rope includes a load-bearing part made of a composite material, the composite material including non-metallic reinforcing fibers, which include carbon fiber or glass fiber, in a polymer matrix. An elevator includes a drive sheave, an elevator car and a rope system for moving the elevator car by means of the drive sheave. The rope system includes at least one rope that has a width that is larger than a thickness thereof in a transverse direction of the rope. The rope includes a load-bearing part made of a composite material. The composite material includes reinforcing fibers in a polymer matrix.

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.

A reinforcement strand (400) comprises a core (403) around which steel filaments (404) are twisted all with the same final lay length and direction. The steel filaments are arranged in an intermediate layer comprising N first steel filaments and an outer layer of 2N steel filaments circumferentially arranged around the intermediate layer. In the intermediate layer filaments will contact one another at a closing lay length that is determined by the number of steel filaments N in the intermediate layer, the diameter of the core and the diameter of the first steel filaments. By choosing the final lay length and direction equal to the between two and six times the closing lay length gaps will form between the intermediate layer filaments. The 2N outer layer filaments are further divided into a group of smaller (408) and a group of larger (406) diameter steel filaments.

A lifting member for an elevator system is disclosed, including a rope formed from a plurality of strands comprising liquid crystal polymer fibers, with the strands extending along a length of the lifting member. A first polymer coating is disposed on outer surfaces of the fibers or on outer surfaces of the strands. A second polymer coating disposed over the first polymer coating.

A belt for an elevator system is provided having a core and an elastomeric sheath positioned over the core. An elastomer and phosphonate blended bonding agent adheres the core to the sheath.

A belt for suspending and/or driving an elevator car includes a tension member extending along a length of the belt, the tension member including a plurality of fibers bonded in a first polymer matrix, the plurality of fibers extending parallel to and discontinuous along a length of the belt and arranged with one or more lengthwise extending gaps between lengthwise adjacent fibers. A jacket substantially retains the tension member. A method of forming a tension member for an elevator system belt includes arranging a plurality of fibers into a fiber bundle. The plurality of fibers extend parallel to a length of the belt and have one or more lengthwise extending gaps between lengthwise extending fibers. The plurality of fibers is bonded to a first polymer matrix.

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 includes one or more tension members extending along a length of the belt, and a jacket at least partially enclosing the plurality of tension members. The jacket includes an elastomeric material and a plurality of reinforcing elements located in the elastomeric material to improve fatigue cracking performance of the belt. An elevator system includes a hoistway, an elevator car located in the hoistway, and an elevator belt operably connected to the elevator car to suspend and/or drive the elevator car along the hoistway. The elevator belt includes one or more tension members extending along a length of the belt and a jacket at least partially enclosing the plurality of tension members. The jacket includes an elastomeric material and a plurality of reinforcing elements located in the elastomeric material to improve fatigue cracking performance of the belt.

A belt containing steel cords, the steel cords containing strands made of steel filaments wherein the largest diameter filaments are at least intermittently positioned at the radially outer side of the steel cord. Such a configuration can be obtained by using steel cord constructions wherein the thickest filaments are positioned outside of the steel cord which is contrary to the current practice. In a further embodiment the largest diameter filaments fill up some or all of the valleys of the strands at their radially outer side. These monofilaments thus have the same lay length and direction as the strands in the steel cord. The advantage of putting the largest filaments at the outside is that they will break first and thus will be readily detectable by electrical, magnetic or visual means. In this way a belt is provided that can be monitored easier and more conveniently than prior art belts.