CN116477443A

CN116477443A - Independent guide rail and guide rail structure for an elevator installation and elevator installation with such a guide rail

Info

Publication number: CN116477443A
Application number: CN202310664426.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 安德烈·坎布鲁齐; 克里斯蒂安·史都德; 菲利普·齐默利
Original assignee: Inventio AG
Current assignee: Inventio AG
Priority date: 2016-09-30
Filing date: 2017-09-27
Publication date: 2023-07-25
Also published as: WO2018060261A1; CN109789996A; EP3519340B1; EP3519340A1

Abstract

A free-standing guide rail (11) for an elevator installation or a guide rail structure consisting of a plurality of such guide rails (11) is described. The guide rail (11) has an elongate profile body (17) which is detachably fastened to the wall of the elevator shaft of the elevator installation. Wherein the profile body (17) is composed essentially of concrete, preferably fiber-reinforced high-performance concrete, and optionally reinforced with reinforcing elements (19). The guide rail (11) made of concrete can be produced considerably more cost-effectively than the T-shaped steel profiles conventionally used for this purpose and has sufficiently good mechanical properties with a suitable choice of materials and processing.

Description

Independent guide rail and guide rail structure for an elevator installation and elevator installation with such a guide rail

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a guide rail for an elevator installation and to a guide rail structure with such a guide rail or an elevator installation with such a guide rail.

Background

Elevator installations are used to transport people or objects within a building between different levels or floors. For this purpose, the elevator car is displaced in the elevator shaft in the vertical direction or at least in a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In this case, in elevator installations of the usual type, the car is held by means of a sling with ropes or belts, and the sling is displaced, for example, by means of a drive sheave driven by a motor, in order to thus also be able to displace the elevator car in the elevator shaft.

In order that the elevator car is not excessively displaced in a direction transverse to the longitudinal extension of the elevator shaft during such a procedure, that is to say "sway" in the elevator shaft, it is usually guided through at least one, preferably a plurality of guide rails.

As guide rail, an elongated steel profile is usually used, which is generally T-shaped in cross section. These steel profiles are usually fixed with the horizontal leg of the "T" to the wall of the elevator shaft or at least parallel to the wall of the elevator shaft. Thus, the vertical leg of the "T" protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the elevator shaft wall. The side surfaces of the vertical legs thus extend parallel to the direction of extension of the elevator shaft and can thus serve as guide surfaces for the elevator car displaceable in this direction. For this purpose, guide shoes can be provided on the elevator car, for example, wherein the rollers or sliding elements can be supported on the side surfaces of the T-shaped profile.

The steel profiles typically used as guide rails may have advantageous mechanical properties in terms of their load carrying capacity and mechanical resistance. However, steel is relatively expensive as a material. Thus, especially in elevators of high-rise buildings, the guide rail to be provided therein contributes considerably to the cost. In addition, steel is heavy, and thus steel rails may be difficult to manipulate.

It has therefore been proposed to form guide rails for elevator installations from other materials. For example, EP 1321420A1 describes a modular elevator shaft with guide devices for an elevator car, which has at least two prefabricated modular rail elements with rails for the elevator car. In this case, the modular rail element can be designed as a prefabricated concrete module, in which the car guide can be integrally fixed in the concrete. In the described procedure, relatively large components in the form of modular rail elements are thus prefabricated with concrete and then installed in the shaft of the elevator installation.

However, it has been recognized that handling such large rail elements can be cumbersome, for example, in the manufacture of elevator installations. It has furthermore been realized that in a practical implementation of the above-described concept, such problems may arise: the relatively fine structure of the rail elements that will form the rail is to be formed with concrete and in this case it is to be able to ensure both sufficient mechanical stability of the rail-forming structures and a sufficiently smooth surface of the rails.

Disclosure of Invention

A guide rail for an elevator installation is therefore needed which can be manufactured cost-effectively on the one hand and which can be installed simply and/or cost-effectively in the elevator shaft of the elevator installation on the other hand and in which case sufficient mechanical stability can be ensured. There is also a need for a guide rail structure with a plurality of such interconnected guide rails, which guide rails can preferably extend along the entire length of the elevator shaft. Furthermore, an elevator installation with such a guide rail or guide rail structure may be required.

Such needs are met by the subject matter of one of the independent claims, respectively. Advantageous embodiments are mentioned in the dependent claims and in the following description.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a free-standing guide rail for an elevator installation is proposed, which guide rail has an elongate profile body which can be detachably fastened to the wall of the elevator shaft of the elevator installation. In this case, the profile body is composed mainly of concrete.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a rail structure is proposed, which has a plurality of rails according to embodiments of the first aspect of the invention, which are arranged flush with one another in the longitudinal extension direction and with respect to the lateral guide surfaces.

According to a third aspect of the invention an elevator installation with an elevator shaft and an elevator car is presented, wherein at least one guide rail according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention or a guide rail structure according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the invention is arranged on the wall of the elevator shaft.

In particular, and without limiting the invention, the possible features and advantages of embodiments of the invention may be regarded as being based on the concepts and findings described below.

As briefly described in the opening paragraph, the guide rail for the elevator installation is usually designed mainly in the form of a steel profile, which can be prefabricated and handled as a freestanding part and then fixed to the wall of the elevator shaft. In order to reduce the costs arising here, it has alternatively been proposed to integrate the guide rail into a rail element made of concrete, but it has been observed that it is at least difficult, and in many cases even impossible, to form a relatively fine rail structure corresponding to the guide rail on a relatively large concrete rail element.

It is therefore proposed here that the guide rail for the elevator installation is likewise designed as a free-standing component like a conventional steel profile, but that the guide rail is not made of steel but rather mainly of concrete.

This is based on the following considerations or insights: contrary to the pre-existing concept, free-standing guide rails for elevator installations with a relatively small-sized structure can still be manufactured from a material, such as concrete, which can be referred to as brittle, usually mainly only withstanding pressure, as long as care is taken in this case with regard to the proper handling of the concrete or the proper properties of the concrete.

In this respect, a free-standing guide rail for an elevator installation refers to a component that can be manufactured and handled as a separate component independently of the elevator shaft and the wall surrounding the elevator shaft. In this case, the free-standing guide rail can be prefabricated, for example, and then introduced into the elevator shaft of the finished elevator installation and finally fastened there to the wall of the elevator shaft. In this case the fixing can be done in a detachable manner, that is to say the guide rail can be fixed to the wall of the elevator shaft, for example by means of bolts or bolts, and can be reversibly detached therefrom again without necessarily being damaged during the detachment.

The guide rail or the elongate profile body forming the guide rail has in this case the form of at least one, preferably two, surface, in particular at least one side surface, which in the mounted state can be used as a guide surface for an elevator car or another movable elevator component, such as a counterweight, moving along it. In this case, the at least one guide surface is preferably substantially smooth, so that, for example, the guide shoe can be moved with its rollers or sliding elements along the at least one guide surface with little friction. In this case, the guide rail generally has a dimension of a few meters in the longitudinal direction, whereas the dimension of the profile body in the direction transverse to this longitudinal direction should be relatively small, for example in the range of a few centimeters, in particular in the range of less than 30 centimeters or even less than 10 centimeters.

In this case, the profile body is composed mainly of concrete. By "predominantly" is herein understood that at least 50% but preferably at least 80% or even at least 90% of the volume of the profile body consists of concrete. The rest of the profile body may consist of other parts, such as reinforcement. In this case, it is preferred that the outer surface of the profile body in particular consists of concrete. In other words, components of the guide rail that are not composed of concrete, such as the reinforcement, should be accommodated inside the concrete. In particular, the outer surface of the guide rail forming at least one, preferably both, guide surfaces should preferably consist of concrete or at least be formed mainly of concrete.

In this respect, the term "concrete" can be interpreted broadly as a building material produced as a mixture of binder and aggregate. In this case, at least cement is generally used as the binder. Aggregate is typically composed of gravel and/or sand. The addition of water generally causes the binder to undergo a chemical reaction, which hardens in the process and produces a solid, dispersed building material mixture. Concrete additives and/or concrete additives may be added to the concrete in order to be able to influence the properties of the concrete in a targeted manner.

According to one embodiment, the concrete used to form the profile body may be high performance concrete.

High-performance concrete, sometimes also referred to as high-strength concrete, has significantly improved properties in terms of its compressive strength and/or its durability compared to conventional concrete. Conventional concrete is known to be well suited to withstand compressive loads, but typically only to a relatively small extent, tensile and/or shear loads. In general, conventional concrete can withstand a maximum tensile load of, for example, less than 20%, typically even less than 10% of the maximum compressive strength.

However, for use in a guide rail for an elevator installation, it may be necessary that the material for the guide rail also be able to withstand to a considerable extent the loads acting on the guide rail in the direction of stretching or shearing. It has thus been found advantageous to form the guide rail preferably with high-performance concrete, which guide rail is optimized to also be able to withstand such forces acting transversely or against the direction of the pressure.

It is thus achieved in particular that guide rails made of high-performance concrete can also withstand considerable forces, such as forces acting on the guide rail when an emergency brake or safety brake of the elevator car contacts the guide rail. In addition, in contrast to brittle conventional concrete, which is often very hard, high-performance concrete types can also have a certain flexibility or ductility, which should have a positive effect on the suitability for forming guide rails for elevator installations.

High performance concrete is particularly resistant to external mechanical or chemical stresses and generally has a particularly dense and strong tissue structure compared to conventional concrete. For example, high performance concrete may be a special concrete composition developed for high processing and/or use requirements.

With respect to the present application for forming elevator guide rails, high performance concrete can be optimized to obtain a high resistance to physical influences, in particular to shear forces.

Here, for example, DIN EN 206-1 defines a high in combination with DIN 1045-2Properties of the performance concrete type. In order to obtain high performance concrete, optimization of the concrete structure is required, for example. Depending on the application, this may be achieved by minimizing the hydraulic cement value, using an effective flow agent to ensure an optimal coordination of workability and/or aggregate and cement stone properties. For example, standard cements can be used in high performance concrete types, where high strength concrete typically requires higher cement levels than normal strength concrete, typically at 380kg/m ³ And 450kg/m ³ Between them. By targeted selection of the appropriate aggregate, a characteristic, preferably uniform, structure of the high performance concrete can be achieved. In this case, it is possible to seek to minimize the mechanical difference in breakage between the aggregate and the set cement and to secure the optimal adhesion between the aggregate and the set cement. Another characteristic difference in the composition of high performance concrete compared to ordinary concrete is typically the addition of fine silicate dust, also known as silica fume, microsilica or nanosilica. Thereby, the compressive strength can be improved and the compactness of the tissue structure can be increased. And can also improve the adhesion between the cement stone and the aggregate. Typically, the amount added is up to 10 mass%. Alternatively or in addition, other microfiller materials may be used, such as stone dust, carbon dust or fine cement, ground fly ash or blast furnace slag. In principle, the finer the filler, the higher the effectiveness.

Furthermore, additives are often required due to the low hydraulic cement values of high strength concrete. The condensing agent and/or flow agent can create a soft to flowable concrete consistency and ensure safe processing.

The guide rail can thus differ structurally and functionally from the usual conventional concrete, from which the wall of the elevator shaft is usually formed, in terms of the high-performance concrete preferably used for its profile body.

According to one embodiment, the concrete may be fiber reinforced.

Fiber reinforced concrete can be formed into a composite material by mechanically reinforcing the surrounding structure of the concrete, particularly high performance concrete. Here, elongated structures made of different materials may be used as the fibers. In particular, the fibers may consist of metal, preferably steel. Alternatively, the fibers may be composed of other man-made or natural materials, such as in the case of glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, natural or synthetic textile fibers, and the like. In this case, the fibers may generally have a diameter or cross-sectional dimension in the range of 20 μm to 2mm, preferably in the range of 50 μm to 1mm, more preferably in the range of 0.1mm to 0.5 mm. Typical lengths of the fibres may be in the range 5mm to 50cm, preferably in the range 1 to 20cm, more preferably in the range 2 to 10 cm. The fibers may be uniformly distributed within the tissue structure of the concrete. In addition, the fibers may be oriented in any direction within the tissue structure of the concrete, preferably substantially isotropically. The fibres can thus mechanically strengthen the concrete considerably and thus contribute to the fact that they are not damaged, in particular not broken, even under shear or tensile loads on the rail.

According to one embodiment, the profile body has such a cross section: the cross section has a wide foot region located below, a narrow head region located above, and a body region preferably connecting the foot region and the head region and widening toward the foot region.

In other words, the profile body is configured in cross section, i.e. transversely to its longitudinal extension, such that there is a narrow head region above, the side surfaces of which preferably form the guide surfaces of the guide rail, and on the head region adjoin the main body region downwards, the width of which increases continuously towards the lower side and then opens into a foot region which is considerably wider than the head region.

The terms "above" or "above" and "below" or "below" should be construed herein only as exemplarily relative arrangements to each other, and not as absolute arrangements in space. In particular, these terms shall refer to such a configuration: wherein the foot region of the profile body is arranged downward and the head region thereof is arranged upward. However, when using a profile body as guide rail, it is usually not arranged horizontally but vertically, wherein the foot area is usually arranged directed to the wall of the elevator shaft and the head area is arranged directed to the center of the elevator shaft.

In this case, the head region is designed to be relatively narrow, for example having a width of 1.5cm to 3cm, preferably 17mm to 25 mm. The width of the head region thus corresponds approximately to the width of the vertical leg of a T-shaped steel profile which is usually used as a guide rail, or is only slightly wider than it, for example not more than 20%. In the region of the head region, the cross section of the profile body thus corresponds substantially to the cross section of a conventional T-profile, so that guide shoes of conventional design on an elevator car or counterweight, for example, can also be used, or they need only be modified slightly.

The foot region of the profile body corresponds in function essentially to the horizontal leg of a conventional T-shaped steel profile, i.e. it serves to be able to fix the profile body to, for example, the wall of an elevator shaft or an intermediate element provided if necessary. In order to be able to conduct the forces acting on the profile body well into the wall, the foot region is designed to be significantly wider than the head region, for example at least four times wider.

The head region of the profile body is connected to the foot region thereof by a main body region located therebetween. In this case, the main body region is preferably connected flush to the head region and widens towards the foot region, i.e. it preferably has a conical shape in cross section. As a result, the forces acting on the head region can be well conducted to the foot region, preferably without local force peaks. In particular, it may be necessary to avoid local force peaks in the case of forming the profile body from concrete, in order to avoid local fractures or chipping of the concrete piece.

According to one embodiment, the head region may in this case have two sides which extend parallel to one another. These side surfaces extending parallel to each other can form a guide surface of a guide rail formed by means of the profile body, on which guide surface e.g. the guide shoe of an elevator car can be supported and along which side surfaces extending vertically in the mounted state can be guided. The sides extending parallel to one another can have a dimension in the depth direction of several centimeters, preferably at least 5 centimeters, so that the guide shoe can be supported on it well.

According to one embodiment, a reinforcement extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail is accommodated in the profile body.

A reinforcement (also commonly referred to as a reinforcement) is understood here to be the reinforcement of the concrete forming the profile body by means of another component. In this case, the reinforcing component may have a higher compressive or tensile strength or greater durability against other environmental influences than the concrete itself.

Since concrete is generally only slightly resistant to tensile forces, reinforcement elements extending in the direction of elongation are generally used therein. The reinforcement can consist of iron, steel or other metallic materials, for example. In particular, a reinforcement may be provided in the form of an elongated strip of iron or steel, sometimes also referred to simply as "iron". For example, such strips may have a diameter in the range of a few millimeters to a few centimeters, preferably in the range of 0.5cm to 2cm, and their length for example corresponds substantially to the length of the profile body of the guide rail, but is at least typically a few meters long. Alternatively, the reinforcement may also consist of a textile structure, such as carbon or glass fibers.

For use as an elevator guide rail, it is considered to be advantageous to accommodate the reinforcement in the profile body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. The resistance of the profile body, which is composed mainly of concrete, can thus be changed, so that it can also absorb forces acting in this longitudinal direction, for example, without damage. The longitudinal direction of the guide rail generally corresponds to the vertical direction in which a force is generated on the guide rail, and in particular when a brake device, e.g. an elevator car, is supported on the lateral guide surfaces of the guide rail during braking of the elevator car.

According to one embodiment, the reinforcement has at least one reinforcement element, for example a reinforcement strip, in particular a reinforcement iron, extending in the longitudinal direction, which is arranged in a plane of the profile body which is neutral under shear and tension.

In this respect, the profile body can be understood as follows in a neutral plane under shear and tension: if a shearing or stretching force is applied to the profile body transversely to its longitudinal extension, it will generally bend. During this bending, a partial region or partial volume of the profile body is stretched and the other partial region is pressed. Between these two partial regions, the profile body extends in a neutral plane under shear and tension, i.e. a narrowly defined region or, in the ideal case, a two-dimensional plane, in which the profile body is neither stretched nor is compressed. In the case of a simple geometry homogeneous body, such a neutral plane is usually located at or at least near the geometric center of the body. In the case of complex geometries and/or non-uniformities, the neutral plane may be significantly distant from the geometric center.

In the case of the guide rail proposed here, it is considered advantageous, in particular for only one stiffening element to be arranged in the profile body, which stiffening element is arranged in a plane of the profile body which is neutral under shear and tension. On the one hand, this makes it possible to prevent excessive deformation of the reinforcement element in the case of shear forces and tensile forces acting laterally on the guide rail. On the other hand, excessive mechanical tensions in the profile body which would otherwise occur if the stiffening element were arranged away from the neutral plane of the profile body can be avoided. In addition, deformations during production, in particular during hardening, can thus be avoided.

Additionally or alternatively, according to one embodiment, the reinforcement can have at least two reinforcement elements extending in the longitudinal direction, one of which is arranged below a plane of the profile body which is neutral under shear and tension, the other being arranged above this neutral plane.

In other words, for the case where more than one stiffening element is provided in the profile body, it is considered advantageous not to necessarily arrange the stiffening elements in a plane of the profile body which is neutral under shear and tension. On the contrary, it seems advantageous to arrange at least one reinforcing element in each case in a volume region of the profile body which is opposite to one another with respect to the neutral plane and spaced apart from the neutral plane. This can in particular increase the bending stiffness of the guide rail. In this case, the further apart the reinforcement element is in the profile body from the neutral plane, the greater the bending stiffness.

According to one embodiment, the guide rail further has a tenon protruding from the first end side surface of the profile body and a groove protruding into the second end side surface of the profile body. In this case, the two end side surfaces are located at opposite ends of the elongate profile body. In this case, at one end, the rabbet protrudes from a first end side surface of the profile body, while at the opposite end, the recess protrudes into a second end side surface of the profile body present there.

In one embodiment of the rail structure proposed herein, in which a plurality of rails are arranged one after the other in the longitudinal extension direction, it is then possible to connect directly adjacent rails by means of a dovetail plug connection protruding from a first end face of a first rail and engaging in a groove of an opposite end face of an adjacent second rail.

In other words, the rails of the rail structure may be connected to each other by inserting the tenons protruding from the end surfaces of one rail into the grooves of the opposite end surfaces of the adjacent rail.

Such plug connections can be designed to mechanically allow high loads, so that forces can be transmitted between adjacent rails.

In particular, according to one embodiment, the dovetail and the groove may be designed to have geometries that are substantially complementary to each other.

The complementary geometry is understood to mean that the tongue can be inserted into the groove, and that in this case a slight gap or clearance is provided between the tongue and the groove, if necessary. The tongue can thus engage in a largely form-locking manner in the groove, so that the desired plug-and-socket connection is produced, which is similar to a plug-and-socket structure.

For example, the rabbet may be formed in a pin-like or bolt-like manner and protrude from one end face of the profile body substantially in the longitudinal direction thereof. The recesses provided on the opposite end face can be designed to be complementary to the tenons, so that the tenons can engage in a form-fitting manner. In this case, the rabbets and the grooves can be arranged on the profile bodies such that adjacent profile bodies can be connected by plugging through the rabbets that are inserted into the grooves in the following manner: such that their side surfaces are flush with and in alignment abut each other, i.e. the side surfaces of the first profile body are connected to the side surfaces of the second profile body substantially smooth and without bending.

In this case, the rabbet may preferably consist of metal, in particular steel. The tongue can furthermore be connected directly to the reinforcement accommodated in the profile body, that is to say adjoining the reinforcement, and possibly firmly to the reinforcement, for example by welding or bolting, so that the forces acting on the tongue can be largely directed to the reinforcement adjoining it. If necessary, the rabbet may be formed by a region of the reinforcement protruding from the end face of the profile body.

The grooves on the opposite end surfaces of the profile body can optionally be reinforced with bushings, preferably metal bushings, in particular steel bushings. The forces or bending forces caused laterally by the tenons can be absorbed well in such a groove reinforced with bushings. In particular, the recess can be connected in the longitudinal direction to a reinforcement accommodated in the profile body. In this case, the reinforcing bush is directly adjacent to the reinforcement and is firmly connected to the reinforcement if necessary, for example by welding or bolting, so that the forces can be transmitted well. The bushing may in particular consist of metal, preferably steel.

According to one embodiment of the rail structure, directly adjacent rails may be bonded to each other at end faces that abut each other.

By means of this bonding, the profile bodies of adjacent rails can be connected to one another in a material-locking manner. In addition to or instead of the aforementioned plugging, bonding may be provided. In this case, the adhesive used for bonding the end faces can in particular also fill in possible gaps between adjacent guide rails and/or smooth out the resulting bends, so that the sides of the two guide rails, which serve as guide surfaces, abut one another as smoothly as possible. As the adhesive, epoxy resin or Polyurethane (PU) can be used in particular. Additives such as fillers may be blended into the adhesive as necessary to appropriately change its physical properties.

According to one embodiment of the rail structure, adjacent rails are each fastened to a common connecting plate in a lateral region adjoining the end faces opposite one another.

In other words, instead of or in addition to mechanical connection by plugging or gluing, adjacent guide rails may be connected to each other by means of a connecting plate. Such connection plates are sometimes also referred to as "fish plates" in elevator construction. In this case, the connection plates extend parallel to the two elongated profile bodies of the adjacent guide rail and are preferably fixed to their respective side surfaces. The web preferably extends from an area of the side surface adjoining the end face of the first profile body into an area of the side surface adjoining the opposite end face of the second profile body. In this case, the connecting plate is connected to the two profile bodies in such a way that it can withstand mechanical loads. For example, bolts or nuts can be arranged in the profile body so that laterally abutting webs can be screwed onto them. The bolts or nuts may be poured, for example with concrete, into the respective profile body.

The embodiments of the guide rail or guide rail structure described above can be prefabricated as separate parts, in particular made of concrete, and then mounted on the wall of the elevator shaft. In this case, the rail or rail structure can be screwed to the wall, for example, similar to a conventional T-steel profile. In particular, a conventionally used bracket (english: black) can be used in order to clamp the guide rail, for example, in a force-locking and/or form-locking manner and thus to fix it to the wall in a positionally adjustable and, if appropriate, reversibly detachable manner.

It should be noted that some possible features and advantages of the present invention are described herein with reference to different embodiments. In particular, embodiments are described in part with respect to a guide rail, in part with respect to a guide rail structure, and in part with respect to an elevator installation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these features may be appropriately combined, diverted, adjusted or substituted to achieve other embodiments of the invention. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the drawings nor the description should be construed as limiting the invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a partial area of an elevator installation.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a guide rail according to the invention.

Fig. 3 (a) to (c) show cross sections of guide rails according to the invention.

Fig. 4 (a) to (c) show longitudinal sections of a guide rail according to the invention.

Fig. 5 shows two rails to be coupled into a rail structure according to the invention.

Detailed Description

The figures are schematic and not drawn to scale. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or equivalent features.

Fig. 1 shows an elevator installation 1 in which an elevator car 3 is vertically displaceable in an elevator shaft 5. The elevator car 3 is held by a belt-like or rope-like sling 7 and displaced in the elevator shaft 5.

In order to prevent uncontrolled sway of the elevator car 3 in the horizontal direction during displacement of the elevator car 3 in the vertical direction, guide rails 11 are arranged on the wall 9 of the elevator shaft 5. These guide rails 11 extend substantially over the entire vertical travel path of the elevator car 3. On the elevator car 3 guide shoes 13 are arranged, which guide shoes 13 each cooperate with one of the guide rails 11. In this case, the guide shoe 13 can rest on the guide rail 11 or its guide surface 15 and/or enclose them. In this case, the rollers or sliding elements provided in the guide shoe 13 roll or slide along the guide surface 15.

Although the guide rail 11 is usually embodied as a T-shaped steel profile, one embodiment of the guide rail 11 according to the invention is shown in a perspective view in fig. 2. The guide rail 11 is characterized in that it has as a separate component a profile body 17, which profile body 17 consists essentially of concrete, in particular also high-performance concrete, which may be fiber-reinforced if necessary for further stabilization. In the elongated profile body 17 at least one stiffening element 19 is accommodated, for example in the form of an elongated rod-shaped stiffening iron. The profile body 17 has a narrow head region 21 located above, a wide foot region 25 located below, and a main body region 23 arranged between the head region 21 and the foot region 25 and widening towards the foot region 25. The side surfaces of the head region 21 form in this case guide surfaces 15 along which the guide shoe 13 can be guided.

In fig. 3 (a) to (c), cross sections of various embodiments of the guide rail 11 are shown.

Apart from the concrete which is mainly used for forming the profile body 17, the profile rail 11 according to the invention differs from conventional T-shaped steel profiles substantially in their cross-sectional shape and the dimensions realized therein. Both allow for significantly different concrete material properties compared to steel. In particular, the body region 23, which widens towards the foot region 25 and is conical in cross section, can be constructed as uniformly as possible and without local force concentration to guide the forces introduced by the guide shoe 13 in the head region 21 into the foot region 25 and finally through it into the elevator shaft wall 9 adjoining it.

As shown in fig. 3 (a), the head region 21 can have a width d1, since the concrete has a lower strength than steel, the width d1 is generally selected to be slightly larger than in the case of steel profiles, and is generally in the range of 15 to 25mm, preferably in the range of 17 to 21 mm. The height h1 of the head region 21 and thus the width of the guide surface 15 should be selected to be sufficiently large that the guide shoe 13 can be brought into good contact therewith. Typically, the height h1 may be between 20 and 40mm, preferably about 30mm. At the upper end of the body region 23 adjoining on the head region 21, it has the same width h1 as the head region 21. However, the body region 23 widens downwardly, for example, to twice or more of the width h1. The foot region 25 adjoining it can form two flanges 27 projecting transversely to the body region 23 and in this case having a width d2 which is significantly greater than the widest point of the body region 23. For example, the width d2 may be between 80 and 100mm, preferably about 90mm. The height h3 of the foot region 25 or flange 27 may generally be between 10 and 20mm, preferably between 14 and 16 mm.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 (a), only one individual reinforcing element 19 is accommodated in the profile body 17. It extends longitudinally through the body region 23. In this case, the reinforcement element 19 is arranged approximately in a plane 29 of the profile body 17 which is neutral with respect to shearing and stretching (shown in dashed lines). The stiffening element 19 may be embodied, for example, as a circular iron bar. In this case it may have a diameter of, for example, 6 to 14mm, preferably about 9 to 11mm.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 (b), two stiffening elements 19 are provided. The two stiffening elements 19 are arranged approximately in the plane 29 of the profile body 17 which is neutral to shearing and stretching and are spaced apart from one another by a center distance d3 of, for example, between 10 and 30mm, preferably about 15 mm. In this case, each stiffening element 19 may have a diameter of, for example, 4 to 8mm, preferably about 6mm.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 (c), two reinforcement elements 19',19″ spaced apart from one another are also accommodated in the profile body 17. However, these stiffening elements 19',19″ are not arranged in a plane 29 which is neutral with respect to shearing and stretching. Instead, a stiffening element 19' is arranged below the neutral plane 29, and a further stiffening element 19″ is arranged above the neutral plane 29. For example, the lower stiffening element 19' may be arranged at a height distance h4 of, for example, 5 to 20mm, preferably about 10mm, from the lower edge of the profile body 17, and the upper stiffening element 19″ may be arranged at a similar height distance h5 from the upper edge of the profile body 17. In this case, the two stiffening elements 19',19″ are spaced apart from the neutral plane 29 by significantly more than 10mm, so that the strength and the bending stiffness of the guide rail 11 can be significantly increased. In this case, each stiffening element 19',19″ may for example have a diameter of 4 to 8mm, preferably about 6mm.

In all three embodiments of fig. 3 (a) to (c), a recess 31 penetrating in the longitudinal direction is formed approximately centrally on the underside of the foot region 25. According to an embodiment, the elongated recess 31 may be only a few millimeters deep to a depth well exceeding 1 cm. It may in particular help to derive from the forces acting on the head region 21 into the foot region 25 or its flange 27 more evenly. Furthermore, such a recess 31 may have the following advantageous effects when producing the profile body 17 by casting concrete into a mould: there is no need to harden a relatively large amount of concrete, wherein undesirable effects such as mechanical tension may occur.

In fig. 4 (a) to (c), longitudinal sections through different embodiments of the profile rail 11 are shown. In this case, elongated reinforcing elements 19 are respectively housed in the elongated profile bodies 17. At the first end face 33 of the profile body, a tenon 37 protrudes. In the opposite end face 35, a groove 39 is formed. In this case, the rabbet 37 and the groove 39 are located on the same line as the reinforcing element 19 and preferably directly adjoin it. The rabbet 37 may be formed, for example, as a metal pin. In the recess 39, a sleeve 41 can be inserted. In this case, the geometry of the tongue 37 and the groove 39 and the sleeve 41 surrounding them can be designed to complement one another, so that they can be inserted into one another as positively as possible and, if necessary, with a small play.

In this case, fig. 4 (a) to (c) show different configurations of the sleeve 41, which are supported on the adjoining end of the reinforcing element 19 or partially surround it in different ways. Both the sleeve 41 and the rabbet 37 may be welded, screwed or otherwise connected with the reinforcing element 19 adjacent thereto or extending therebetween, if necessary, in a manner capable of withstanding mechanical loads.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective partial view of a rail structure 43 consisting of two rails 11. In this case, the guide rails 11 are arranged in sequence in the longitudinal extension direction, and in particular, the side surfaces of the guide rails 11 serving as the guide surfaces 15 are aligned with each other.

In order to connect the two guide rails 11 to one another in such a way that they can withstand mechanical loads, a tongue 37 protruding from one end face 33 of one profile body 17 is inserted in a form-locking manner into a groove 39 formed on the opposite end face 35 of the other profile body 17. If necessary, the end faces 33, 35 facing one another and/or the rabbet 37 and the groove 39 projecting therefrom are bonded to one another, for example by means of epoxy.

In order to be able to connect two rails 11 connected to one another, in particular also with high resistance to an applied bending force, a connecting plate 45 in the form of a fish plate can also be provided, which connecting plate 45 rests on the side surfaces of the two rails 11 and can be mechanically connected thereto. In particular, the web 45 may be disposed on a downwardly oriented surface of the foot region 25 in a side region adjoining the end faces 33, 35 opposite one another. For this purpose, bolts or bolts 47 may protrude from the connection plate 45, which may be embedded in and firmly connected to nuts 49 or inserts in each guide rail 11, for example. For example, nuts 49 or inserts may be poured into the concrete of the respective profile body 17. Alternatively, it is also possible to cast bolts or bolts into the concrete of the profile body 17 and then fix it to the connection plate 45 by means of suitable nuts or other counterparts.

The presented guide rail 11 and guide rail structure 43 can be fixed in the elevator shaft 5 in a manner similar to a conventional T-shaped steel profile. For example, the bracket may cover a laterally projecting flange 27 of the foot region 25 of the profile body 17 and may be bolted or bolted to the wall 9. The guide rail structure 43 can then function in essentially the same way as a conventional guide rail structure for guiding the guide shoes 13 of the elevator car 3. In order to provide a smooth transition between the guide rails 11 adjoining each other, the two guide rails 11 may be glued to each other, in which case the gap between them is filled with an adhesive. In this case, the adhesive may be epoxy or polyurethane, possibly with the addition of quartz sand.

In order to be able to take account of the different physical properties of the concrete guide rail 11 compared to the T-shaped steel profile, a safety device, such as a safety brake of the elevator car 3, which in operating conditions is to be supported on the guide rail 11, can be adapted. For example, the braking surface with which such a safety brake will rest against the rail 11 may be enlarged and/or covered with a protective layer, such as plastic, to avoid excessive pressure on the rail 11, in particular locally concentrated pressure.

The proposed guide rail 11, which consists essentially of concrete, can be produced easily and particularly cost-effectively. Furthermore, it can be easily handled and installed due to its lighter weight relative to the rail.

Finally, it is pointed out that terms such as "having," "including," and the like do not exclude other elements or steps, and that terms such as "a" and "an" do not exclude a plurality. It should also be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above-described embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting.

List of reference numerals

1. Elevator installation

3. Elevator car

5. Elevator shaft

7. Lifting appliance

9. Shaft wall

11. Guide rail

13 brake shoe

15 guide surface

17 section bar body

19 reinforcing element

21 head region

23 body region

25 foot area

27 flange

29 neutral plane

31 recess

33 first end face

35 second end face

37 tenon

39 groove

41 bushing

43 guide rail structure

45 connecting plate

47 bolt

49 nut

Claims

1. A freestanding prefabricated guide rail (11) for an elevator installation (1), with an elongate profile body (17) which is detachably fastened to a wall (9) of an elevator shaft (5) of the elevator installation (1), wherein the profile body (17) is composed mainly of concrete and at least one guide surface (15) of the guide rail (11) forming an outer surface is composed mainly of concrete.

2. The guide rail of claim 1, wherein the concrete is high performance concrete.

3. Rail according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the concrete is fibre reinforced.

4. Guide rail according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the profile body (17) has a cross section with a wide foot region (25) lying below, a narrow head region (21) lying above and a main body region (23) which preferably connects the foot region (25) and the head region (21) and widens towards the foot region (25).

5. Guide rail according to claim 4, wherein the head region (21) has two lateral guide surfaces (15) extending parallel to each other.

6. Guide rail according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a reinforcement extending in the longitudinal direction is accommodated in the profile body (17).

7. Guide rail according to claim 6, wherein the reinforcement has at least one reinforcement element (19) extending in the longitudinal direction, which reinforcement element is arranged in a plane (29) of the profile body (17) which is neutral under shear and tension.

8. Guide rail according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the reinforcement has at least two reinforcement elements (19 ',19 ") extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein one reinforcement element (19') is arranged below a plane (29) of the profile body (17) which is neutral under shear and tension and the other reinforcement element (19") is arranged above a plane (29) of the profile body (17) which is neutral under shear and tension.

9. Guide rail according to any of the preceding claims, further having a tenon (37) protruding from the first end side surface (33) of the profile body (17) and a groove (39) protruding into the second end side surface (35) of the profile body (17).

10. Guide rail according to claim 9, wherein the rabbet (37) and the groove (39) are designed with a geometry that is substantially complementary to each other.

11. A rail structure (43) having a plurality of rails (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, which are arranged flush with one another in the longitudinal extension direction one after the other and with respect to the lateral guide surfaces (15).

12. Guide rail structure according to claim 11, wherein directly adjacent guide rails (11) are plug-connected by means of a tenon (37) protruding from one end face (33) of one guide rail (11) and being embedded in a groove (39) of the opposite end face (35) of the adjacent guide rail (11).

13. Guide rail according to any of the claims 11 and 12, wherein directly adjacent guide rails (11) are glued to each other at end faces (33, 35) adjoining each other.

14. Guide rail according to any of the claims 11-13, wherein adjacent guide rails (11) are each fixed to a common web (45) in side areas adjoining end faces (33, 35) opposite each other.

15. Elevator installation (1) with an elevator shaft (5) and an elevator car (3), wherein at least one guide rail (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or a guide rail structure (43) according to any one of claims 11 to 14 is mounted on a wall (9) of the elevator shaft (5).