Guide rail dirty, slippery hoistway

• Causes

1. It hinders smooth movement of the car or counterweight
2. No cleaning after regular maintenance
3. Oil spillage

• Diagnostic/testing method for guide rail

The stresses acting on the steel guide rails and its reinforcement during elevator operation which include horizontal forces imposed on the rail during loading, unloading, running, and calculated without impact shall not exceed 105MPa (15,000 psi), based upon the class of loading. Besides, the guide rails shall not deform more than 6 mm (ASME A17.3-2008).

• Good practices

Car and counterweight guide rails shall be made of steel and be protected against corrosion. In the operation of safety gears, the guide rails shall be sufficiently strong to withstand the stopping of fully-loaded car or the counterweight.

The guide rail brackets shall be made of steel and fixed to the building structure using bolts, anchor bolts or welding (SS550).

• Corrections

The overall length of guide rails shall extend at the top and bottom to prevent the guiding members from disengaging from the guide rails in the event of either elevator car or the counterweight travel exceed the limit. For safety purposes, rail lubricants or coatings shall not be used as it will reduce the holding power.

In the case where lubricant is needed, a metal plate shall be securely attached to the car crosshead on visible location and shall display the notation “CONSULT MANUFACTURER OF THE SAFETY FOR YHE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RAIL LUBRICANT TO BE USED” (ASME A17.3-2008).