EP3519340B1 - Detached guide rail for an elevator system and guide rail assembly and elevator system with same - Google Patents

Description

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

Elevator systems are used to transport people or objects within a building between different levels or floors. For this purpose, an elevator car is displaced within an elevator shaft in the vertical direction or at least in a direction inclined to the horizontal. In a type of elevator system that is frequently used, the car is held with the aid of suspension elements having ropes or belts and these suspension elements are displaced, for example, by means of a traction sheave driven by a motor in order to be able to move the elevator car within the elevator shaft.

So that the elevator car does not shift excessively in directions transverse to the longitudinal direction of the elevator shaft during such a method, that is to say "rocks" within the elevator shaft, it is generally guided by at least one, preferably a plurality of guide rails.

Usually, elongated steel profiles, which are often T-shaped in cross-section, are conventionally used as guide rails. These steel profiles are usually attached to a horizontal leg of the "T" or at least parallel to a wall of the elevator shaft. A vertical leg of the "T" thus protrudes in a direction perpendicular from the wall of the elevator shaft. Side surfaces of this vertical leg thus extend parallel to a direction of extent of the elevator shaft and can therefore serve as guide surfaces for the elevator car that can be moved in this direction. For this purpose, guide shoes can be provided on the elevator car, for example, in which rollers or sliding elements can be supported on these lateral surfaces of the T-shaped profile.

The steel profiles conventionally used as guide rails can have advantageous mechanical properties with regard to their loading capacity and mechanical resistance. However, steel is relatively expensive as a material. In particular in the case of elevators for tall buildings, the guide rails to be provided therein can therefore make a considerable contribution to costs. In addition, steel is heavy, so steel guide rails can be difficult to handle.

It has therefore been proposed to design guide rails for elevator systems with other materials. For example, in the EP 1 321 420 A1 describes a modular elevator shaft with guides for an elevator car, which has at least two prefabricated modular carriageway elements with carriageways for the elevator car. The modular roadway elements can be designed as prefabricated concrete modules, with the cabin guides being manufactured integrated in the concrete. In the approach described, relatively large components in the form of modular roadway elements are prefabricated with concrete and then mounted in the shaft of an elevator system.

However, it was recognized that, for example, the handling of such large roadway elements in the manufacture of an elevator system can be complex. It was also recognized that in the practical implementation of the aforementioned idea, problems can arise in forming the relatively fine structures of the roadway elements that are intended to form a roadway with concrete, with both sufficient mechanical stability of these structures forming the roadway and a sufficiently smooth one To be able to guarantee the surface of these roadways.

the CH 638755 A5 discloses the preamble of claim 1. The document describes a guide rail for a vehicle elevator, in which guide rails are formed by pipes filled with concrete.

There may therefore be a need for a guide rail for an elevator system which, on the one hand, can be manufactured inexpensively and which, on the other hand, can be installed simply and / or inexpensively in an elevator shaft of an elevator system and can thereby ensure sufficient mechanical stability. There may also be a need for a guide rail arrangement with a plurality of such interconnected guide rails which can preferably extend along the entire length of an elevator shaft. Furthermore, there may be a need for a Elevator system with such a guide rail or such a guide rail arrangement exist.

Such a need can be met with the subject matter of one of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims and the description below.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a free-standing guide rail for an elevator system is proposed, which has an elongated profile body which can be releasably attached to a wall of an elevator shaft of the elevator system. The profile body consists mainly of concrete.

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

According to a third aspect of the invention, an elevator system is proposed which has an elevator shaft and an elevator car, with at least one guide rail according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention or a guide rail arrangement according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the invention being attached to the walls of the elevator shaft.

Possible features and advantages of embodiments of the invention can be viewed, inter alia and without restricting the invention, as being based on the ideas and findings described below.

As briefly stated in the introduction, guide rails for elevator systems were usually designed in the form of steel profiles, which could be pre-produced and handled as free-standing components and then attached to a wall of the elevator shaft. In order to reduce the resulting costs, it has alternatively been proposed to integrate guide rails into roadway elements made of concrete, although it has been observed that relatively fine roadway structures corresponding to a guide rail are formed on the relatively large concrete pavement elements seemed difficult, in some cases even impossible.

It is therefore proposed here to design a guide rail for an elevator system again similar to conventional steel profiles as a free-standing component, but to manufacture the guide rail not from steel, but predominantly from concrete.

This is based on the consideration or knowledge that, contrary to previous assumptions, free-standing guide rails for elevator systems with their relatively small structures can still be made of a material such as concrete that is considered brittle and usually only able to withstand pressure, provided that a suitable material is used Processing of the concrete or suitable properties of the concrete is observed.

A free-standing guide rail for an elevator installation can be understood in this context as a component which can be manufactured and handled as an independent component independently of the elevator shaft and the walls surrounding the elevator shaft. The free-standing guide rail can, for example, be prefabricated, then introduced into the already completed elevator shaft of the elevator installation and ultimately fastened there to the walls of the elevator shaft. Fastening can take place in a detachable manner, that is, a guide rail can be fastened to the wall of the elevator shaft, for example with the aid of screws or bolts, and can be reversibly detached from it again without it being inevitably damaged when detached.

The guide rail or the elongated profile body forming it has at least one, preferably two surfaces, in particular in the form of at least one side surface, which in the assembled state can serve as a guide surface for an elevator car moving along it or another movable elevator component such as a counterweight . The at least one guide surface is preferably essentially smooth, so that, for example, a guide shoe with its rollers or sliding elements moves along this at least one guide surface can move with little friction. A guide rail usually has dimensions of several meters in the longitudinal direction, whereas the dimensions of the profile body in directions transverse to this longitudinal direction should be relatively small, for example in the range of a few centimeters, in particular less than 30 cm or even less than 10 cm.

The profile body consists mainly of concrete. "Predominantly" should be understood to mean 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 can consist of other components such as reinforcement. In particular, the outer surfaces of the profile body are preferably made of concrete. In other words, components of the guide rail that are not made of concrete, such as, for example, reinforcement, should be accommodated in the interior of the concrete. According to the invention, the at least one, preferably two, outer surfaces of the guide rail, which form guide surfaces, are formed at least predominantly with concrete.

In this context, the term "concrete" can be interpreted broadly as a building material that is produced as a mixture of a binding agent and an aggregate. As a rule, at least cement can be used as the binding agent. The aggregate is usually composed of gravel and / or sand. Adding water generally leads to the binding agent reacting chemically, hardening it and creating a solid, dispersed building material mixture. Concrete additives and / or concrete admixtures can be added to the concrete in order to be able to specifically influence the properties of the concrete.

According to one embodiment, the concrete used to form the profile body can be a high-performance concrete.

High-performance concrete, which is sometimes also referred to as high-strength concrete, has significantly improved properties compared to conventional concrete with regard to its compressive strength and / or its durability. Conventional concrete is known to be very well suited to withstand pressure loads, but can usually only be able to withstand tensile loads and / or shear loads to a relatively small extent Withstand dimensions. Conventional concrete can usually withstand tensile loads at most, for example, which are less than 20%, mostly even less than 10% of a maximum compressive strength.

For use in guide rails for elevator systems, however, it may be necessary for the material used for the guide rail to be able to withstand loads that act on the guide rail in the pulling or pushing direction to a considerable extent. It was therefore recognized as advantageous to design such guide rails preferably with a high-performance concrete that is optimized to be able to withstand such forces acting transversely or in the opposite direction to a pressure direction.

This means, among other things, that the guide rail made with high-performance concrete can also withstand the considerable forces that are caused, for example, when an emergency brake or safety brake of the elevator car is applied to the guide rail on the guide rail. In addition, in contrast to mostly very hard, brittle conventional concrete, high-performance concrete types can also have a certain bendability or ductility, which should have a positive influence on the suitability for the formation of guide rails for elevator systems.

Compared to conventional concrete, high-performance concrete is particularly resistant to external mechanical or chemical loads and is generally characterized by a particularly dense and solid structure. A high-performance concrete can, for example, be a concrete composition specially developed for high processing and / or usage requirements.

In relation to the present application for forming an elevator guide rail, the high-performance concrete can be optimized for high resistance to physical influences, in particular to shear forces.

Properties of high-performance concrete types are defined, for example, in DIN EN 206-1 in conjunction with DIN 1045-2. In order to obtain a high-performance concrete, for example, an optimization of the concrete structure is necessary. Depending on the application, this can be achieved by minimizing the water-cement ratio, using high-performance superplasticizers to ensure workability and / or by using a optimal coordination of aggregate and cement stone properties can be achieved. For example, standard cements can be used for high-performance concrete types, the required cement contents for high-strength concretes generally being higher than that of normal-strength concretes, usually between 380 kg / m ³ and 450 kg / m ³ . With a targeted selection of suitable aggregates, a characteristic, preferably homogeneous structure of a high-performance concrete can be achieved. The aim can be to minimize the fracture mechanical differences between aggregate and cement stone and to ensure an optimal bond between aggregate and cement stone. Another characteristic difference in the composition of a high-performance concrete compared to normal concrete is usually the addition of silicate fine dust, also called silica dust, microsilica or nanosilica. In this way, a compressive strength can be increased and a tightness of the structure can be increased. A bond between cement stone and aggregate can also be improved. An addition amount of up to 10 mass% is typical. As an alternative or in addition, other micro-fillers can also be used, such as stone meal, carbon dust or fine cement, ground fly ash or blast furnace slag. In principle, the effectiveness increases the finer the filler is.

Furthermore, because of the low water-cement ratio of high-strength concrete, admixtures are usually required. Liquefiers and / or superplasticizers can produce a soft to flowable consistency of the concrete and ensure safe processing.

With regard to the high-performance concrete preferably used for its profile body, the guide rail can thus differ both structurally and functionally from the mostly conventional concrete from which the walls of the elevator shaft are usually formed.

According to one embodiment, the concrete can be fiber-reinforced.

A fiber-reinforced concrete can form a type of composite material in that fibers mechanically strengthen a surrounding structure of the concrete, in particular the high-performance concrete. The fibers can be thin elongated structures made of different Materials are used. In particular, the fibers can consist of metal, preferably steel. Alternatively, the fibers can consist of other artificial or natural materials, such as in the case of glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, natural or synthetic textile fibers, etc. The fibers can typically have a diameter or cross-sectional dimensions in the range from 20 μm to 2 mm, preferably in Range from 50 µm to 1 mm, more preferably in the range from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. Typical lengths of the fibers can range from 5 mm to 50 cm, preferably in the range from 1 to 20 cm, more preferably in the range from 2 to 10 cm. The fibers can be distributed homogeneously within the structure of the concrete. In addition, the fibers can be oriented in any direction within the structure of the concrete, preferably oriented essentially isotropically. The fibers can thus significantly strengthen the concrete mechanically and thus contribute to ensuring that it is not damaged, in particular not breaking, even when the guide rail is subjected to shear or tensile loads.

According to one embodiment, the profile body has a cross section with a broad foot region lying below, a narrow head region lying above and preferably a body region connecting the foot region and the head region and widening towards the foot region.

In other words, the profile body should be designed in cross section, i.e. transversely to its direction of longitudinal extent, in such a way that there is a narrow head area at the top, the lateral surfaces of which preferably form the guide surfaces of the guide rail, and the body area adjoins the head area at the bottom, the width of which increases progressively towards the bottom and which then flows into the foot area, which is significantly wider than the head area.

The terms "above" or "above" and "below" or "below" are only intended to be interpreted as an arrangement relative to one another to clarify and not to be understood as absolute arrangements in space. In particular, these terms should relate to a configuration in which the profile body is arranged with its foot area down and its head area upwards. When the profile body is used as a guide rail, however, it is generally not arranged lying horizontally, but standing vertically, with the The foot region is arranged regularly directed towards a wall of the elevator shaft and the head region is arranged directed towards the center of the elevator shaft.

The head area is made relatively narrow, for example with a width of between 1.5 cm and 3 cm, preferably a width between 17 mm and 25 mm. The width of the head area thus corresponds approximately to the width of the vertical leg of a T-shaped steel profile conventionally used as a guide rail or is only slightly wider than this, for example by no more than 20%. In the area of the head area, the cross-section of the profile body essentially corresponds to that of the conventional T-profile, so that, for example, conventionally designed guide shoes can also be used on the elevator car or the counterweight or these only need to be modified slightly.

The foot area of the profile body essentially corresponds in its function to the horizontal leg of a conventional T-shaped steel profile, that is, it should serve to be able to attach the profile body, for example, to the wall of the elevator shaft or to any intermediate elements that may be provided. In order to be able to transfer the forces acting on the profile body well into the wall, the foot area is designed to be significantly wider than the head area, for example at least four times wider.

The head area of the profile body is connected to its foot area via the body area in between. The body area is preferably flush with the head area and widens towards the foot area, that is, it preferably has a conical shape in cross section. As a result, forces acting on the head area can be diverted well and preferably without generating local force peaks to the foot area. In particular, avoiding local force peaks can be essential when the profile body is constructed with concrete in order to avoid local fractures or chipping of concrete pieces.

According to one embodiment, the head region can have two side surfaces running parallel to one another. These side surfaces running parallel to one another can be guide surfaces formed by means of the profile body Form guide rails on which, for example, a guide shoe of the elevator car can be supported and guided along the side surfaces that run vertically in the installed state. The side surfaces running parallel to one another can have dimensions in a depth direction of several cm, preferably at least 5 cm, so that the guide shoe can be well supported on them.

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

Reinforcement, often also referred to as reinforcement, can be understood to mean reinforcement of the concrete forming the profile body by another structural component. The reinforcing structural component can have a higher compressive or tensile strength or a greater durability against other environmental influences than the concrete itself.

Since concrete is usually only slightly resistant to tensile forces, reinforcements that run in the direction of tension are often used. A reinforcement can consist of iron, steel or other metallic materials, for example. In particular, reinforcement in the form of elongated iron or steel bars, sometimes also referred to as "iron" for short, can be provided. Such rods can, for example, have diameters in the range from a few mm to a few cm, preferably in the range from 0.5 cm to 2 cm, and their length, for example, essentially corresponds to the length of the profile body of the guide rail, but at least typically a few meters long be. Alternatively, reinforcement can also consist of textile structures such as carbon fibers or glass fibers.

For use as an elevator guide rail, it is considered advantageous to receive reinforcement inside the profile body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. As a result, the resistance of the profile body, which is predominantly made of concrete, can be modified in such a way that it can also, for example, absorb forces acting in this longitudinal direction without damage. The longitudinal direction of the guide rail mostly corresponds to the vertical direction and forces on the guide rail are then in particular in this vertical direction generated when a braking device, for example the elevator car, is supported on the lateral guide surface of the guide rail when the elevator car is braked.

According to one embodiment, the reinforcement has at least one reinforcing element running in the longitudinal direction, such as a reinforcing bar, in particular a reinforcing iron, which is arranged in a plane of the profile body that is neutral under shear and tension.

The plane of the profile body, which is neutral under thrust and tension, can be understood as follows in this context: If thrust or tensile forces are exerted on the profile body transversely to its longitudinal direction, it will generally bend. During such bending, partial areas or partial volumes of the profile body are stretched and other partial areas are compressed. The plane of the profile body, which is neutral under thrust and tension, extends between these two partial areas, that is, a narrowly delimited area or, ideally, a two-dimensional plane in which the profile body is neither stretched nor compressed. In the case of homogeneous bodies of simple geometry, such a neutral plane generally lies at or at least close to the geometric center of the body. In the case of complex geometries and / or inhomogeneous bodies, the neutral plane can be located clearly at a distance from the geometric center.

In the case of the guide rail presented here, it is considered advantageous, especially in the event that only one reinforcement element is arranged in the profile body, to arrange this reinforcement element in the plane of the profile body that is neutral under shear and tension. This can on the one hand have the effect that the reinforcement element is not excessively deformed in the event of shear and tensile forces acting on the guide rail from the side. On the other hand, excessive mechanical stresses within the profile body can be avoided, which would otherwise occur if the reinforcement element were arranged far away from the neutral plane of the profile body. Furthermore, deformations during production, in particular during the hardening process, can be avoided in this way.

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

In other words, in the event that more than one reinforcement element is provided in the profile body, it is considered advantageous not necessarily to arrange the reinforcement elements in the plane of the profile body that is neutral in terms of shear and tension. Instead, it appears to be advantageous to arrange at least one reinforcement element in each case in volume regions of the profile body that are opposite to one another with respect to the neutral plane and at a distance from the neutral plane. In this way, in particular, the flexural strength of the guide rail can be increased. The flexural rigidity can be increased the more the reinforcement elements are arranged in the profile body at a distance from the neutral plane.

According to one embodiment, the guide rail also has a pin protruding beyond a first end-face surface of the profile body and a recess extending into a second end-face surface of the profile body. The two end surfaces are located at opposite ends of the elongated profile body. At one end, the pin protrudes beyond the first end face of the profile body, whereas at the opposite end the recess extends into the second end face surface of the profile body located there.

In one embodiment of the guide rail arrangement proposed herein, in which several guide rails are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction, directly adjacent guide rails can then be plugged in by means of the pin protruding from the first end face of a first guide rail and engaging in the recess of the opposite end face of the adjacent second guide rail.

In other words, the guide rails of a guide rail arrangement can be connected to one another by the one end face of one of the

Guide rails protruding pin is inserted into the recess of an opposite end face of the adjacent guide rail.

Such a plug connection can be designed to be mechanically highly resilient, so that forces can be passed on between the adjacent guide rails.

In particular, according to one embodiment, the pin and the recess can be designed with geometries that are essentially complementary to one another.

Complementary geometries can be understood here to mean that the pin can be pushed into the recess and at most a slight play or a slight gap remains between the pin and the recess. The pin can thus largely engage positively in the recess and thus form the desired plug connection similar to a plug-socket arrangement.

For example, the pin can be designed like a pin or bolt and protrude essentially in the longitudinal direction of the profile body from its one end face. The recess provided on the opposite end face can be designed to be complementary to the pin, so that the pin can engage in a form-fitting manner. The pin and the recess can be arranged on the profile body in such a way that adjacent profile bodies can be plugged in via the pin engaging in the recess in such a way that their side surfaces are flush and flush with one another, i.e. the side surfaces of the first profile body are essentially smooth and connect to the side surfaces of the second profile body without a kink.

The pin can preferably consist of metal, in particular steel. Furthermore, the pin can directly adjoin a reinforcement received in the profile body, that is to say adjoin this, and, if necessary, be permanently connected to the reinforcement, for example via a weld or screw connection, so that forces acting on the pin to a large extent directly can be derived from the adjacent reinforcement. If necessary, the Pins are formed by a region of the reinforcement protruding beyond the end face of the profile body.

The recess on the opposite end face of the profile body can possibly be reinforced with a bushing, preferably a metal bushing, in particular a steel bushing. Forces or bending forces caused laterally by the pin can be well absorbed in such a recess reinforced with a bushing. In particular, the recess can adjoin a reinforcement received in the profile body in the longitudinal direction. In this case, a reinforcing bushing can directly adjoin the reinforcement and, if necessary, be firmly connected to the reinforcement, for example via a weld or a screw connection, so that forces can be transmitted well. The socket can in particular consist of metal, preferably steel.

According to one embodiment of the guide rail arrangement, directly adjacent guide rails can be glued to one another on adjacent end faces.

By gluing in this way, the profile bodies of adjacent guide rails can be materially connected to one another. The gluing can be provided in addition to or as an alternative to the plug connection described above. An adhesive used to glue the end faces can, among other things, fill any gap between the adjacent guide rails and / or smooth a kink caused thereby, so that the side surfaces of both guide rails serving as guide surfaces adjoin one another as smoothly as possible. In particular, epoxy resin or polyurethane (PU) can be used as the adhesive. If necessary, additives such as fillers or the like can be added to the adhesive in order to modify its physical properties in a suitable manner.

According to one embodiment of the guide rail arrangement, adjacent guide rails are each fastened to a common connecting plate in a side region adjacent to mutually opposite end faces.

In other words, as an alternative or in addition to a mechanical connection, adjacent guide rails can be connected to one another by plugging or gluing together with the aid of a connecting plate. Such a connecting plate is sometimes referred to as a "fish plate" in elevator construction. The connecting plate extends parallel to the two elongated profile bodies of the adjacent guide rails and is preferably attached to their respective side surfaces. A connecting plate preferably extends from a region of the side surface adjoining an end face of the first profile body into a region of a side surface adjoining the opposite end face of the second profile body. The connecting plate is connected to the two profile bodies so that it can be subjected to mechanical loads. For example, screws or nuts can be arranged in the profile bodies so that the laterally adjacent connecting plate can be screwed onto them. The screws or nuts can for example be concreted into the respective profile body.

Embodiments of the previously described guide rail or guide rail arrangement can be prefabricated as separate components, in particular concreted, and then mounted on a wall of an elevator shaft. The guide rail or guide rail arrangement can be screwed onto the wall, for example, similar to conventional T-steel profiles. In particular, conventionally used brackets can be used to fasten guide rails to the wall, for example in a force-fitting and / or form-fitting manner and thus adjustable in their position and possibly reversibly detachable.

It should be noted that some of the possible features and advantages of the invention are described herein with reference to different embodiments. In particular, embodiments are described partly with reference to a guide rail, partly with reference to a guide rail arrangement and partly with reference to an elevator installation. A person skilled in the art will recognize that the features can be combined, transferred, adapted or interchanged in a suitable manner in order to arrive at further embodiments of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

• Fig. 1 zeigt einen Teilbereich einer Aufzuganlage.
• Fig. 2 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Führungsschiene.
• Fig. 3(a) bis (c) zeigen Querschnitte durch erfindungsgemäße Führungsschienen.
• Fig. 4(a) bis (c) zeigen Längsschnitte durch erfindungsgemäße Führungsschienen.
• Fig. 5 zeigt zwei zu einer erfindungsgemäßen Führungsschienenanordnung zu koppelnde Führungsschienen.

Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the drawings nor the description are to be interpreted as restricting the invention.

• Fig. 1 shows a part of an elevator system.
• Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a guide rail according to the invention.
• Fig. 3 (a) to (c) show cross sections through guide rails according to the invention.
• Fig. 4 (a) to (c) show longitudinal sections through guide rails according to the invention.
• Fig. 5 shows two guide rails to be coupled to form a guide rail arrangement according to the invention.

The figures are only schematic and not true to scale. In the various figures, the same reference symbols denote the same or equivalent features.

Fig. 1 shows an elevator installation 1 in which an elevator car 3 can be displaced vertically within an elevator shaft 5. The elevator car 3 is both held and displaced within the elevator shaft 5 by a belt-like or rope-like suspension element 7.

In order to prevent uncontrolled rocking of the elevator car 3 in the horizontal direction during the displacement of the elevator car 3 in the vertical direction, guide rails 11 are attached to the walls 9 of the elevator shaft 5. These guide rails 11 extend essentially over the entire vertical travel path of the elevator car 3. Guide shoes 13 are attached to the elevator car 3, each of which interacts with one of the guide rails 11. The guide shoes 13 can rest on the guide rail 11 or its guide surfaces 15 and / or encompass it. In this case, rollers or sliding elements provided in a guide shoe 13 can roll or slide along the guide surfaces 15.

While guide rails 11 were usually designed as T-shaped steel profiles, in Fig. 2 an embodiment of a guide rail 11 according to the invention is shown in perspective. The guide rail 11 is characterized in that, as a free-standing structural element, it has a profile body 17 which consists predominantly of concrete, in particular high-performance concrete, which can optionally be fiber-reinforced for further stabilization. In the elongated profile body 17 at least one reinforcement element 19 is received, for example in the form of an elongated, rod-like reinforcing iron. The profile body 17 has a narrow head area 21 located at the top, a broad foot area 25 located below and a body area 23 arranged between the head area 21 and the foot area 25 and widening towards the foot area 25. Lateral surfaces of the head region 21 form the guide surfaces 15 along which a guide shoe 13 can be guided.

In the Fig. 3 (a) to (c) cross sections of various embodiments of guide rails 11 are shown.

In addition to the concrete mainly used to form the profile body 17, profile rails 11 according to the invention generally differ from conventional T-steel profiles both in the shape of their cross-section and in the dimensions realized in the process. Both take into account the significantly different material properties of concrete compared to steel. In particular, the body region 23, which widens towards the foot region 25 and has a conical cross-section, can be designed to transfer the forces introduced in the head region 21 by a guide shoe 13 as evenly as possible and without local force concentrations into the foot region 25 and ultimately via this into an elevator shaft wall 9 adjacent to it derive.

As in Fig. 3 (a) As illustrated, the head area 21 can have a width d1 which, due to the lower strength of concrete compared to steel, should usually be selected somewhat larger than with steel profiles and typically in the range from 15 to 25 mm, preferably in the range from 17 to 21 mm , lies. A height h1 of the head region 21 and thus a width of the guide surface 15 should be selected to be sufficiently large that a guide shoe 13 can grip it well. Typically can the height h1 be between 20 and 40 mm, preferably approximately 30 mm. At an upper end, at which the body region 23 adjoins the head region 21, this has the same width h1 as the head region 21. However, downward the body region 23 widens, for example, to twice or more this width h1. The adjoining foot area 25 can form two flanks 27 protruding laterally beyond the body area 23 and thereby have a significantly greater width d2 than the widest point of the body area 23. For example, the width d2 can be between 80 and 100 mm, preferably about 90 mm. A height h3 of the foot region 25 or of the flange 27 can typically be between 10 and 20 mm, preferably between 14 and 16 mm.

At the in Fig. 3 (a) In the embodiment shown, only a single reinforcement element 19 is received in the profile body 17. This extends longitudinally through the body region 23. The reinforcement element 19 is arranged approximately in the plane 29 (shown in dashed lines) of the profile body 17, which is neutral in terms of shear and tension. The reinforcement element 19 can for example be designed as a round iron bar. It can have a diameter of, for example, between 6 and 14 mm, preferably approximately 9 to 11 mm.

At the in Fig. 3 (b) illustrated embodiment, two reinforcement elements 19 are provided. Both reinforcement elements 19 are arranged approximately in the plane 29 of the profile body 17, which is neutral in terms of thrust and tension, and are spaced apart from one another with a center-to-center distance d3 of, for example, between 10 and 30 mm, preferably about 15 mm. Each of the reinforcement elements 19 can for example have a diameter of 4 to 8 mm, preferably about 6 mm.

At the in Fig. 3 (c) In the illustrated embodiment, two reinforcement elements 19 ', 19 ", which are spaced apart from one another, are also received in the profile body 17. However, these reinforcement elements 19', 19" are not arranged in the plane 29 which is neutral in terms of shear and tension. Instead, one reinforcement element 19 'is arranged below this neutral plane 29 and the other reinforcement element 19 "above this neutral plane 29. For example, the lower reinforcement element 19' with a height distance h4 of for example 5 to 20 mm, preferably about 10 mm, from a lower Be arranged edge of the profile body 17 and the upper reinforcement element 19 "can be spaced at a similar height h5 from the upper edge of the profile body 17. Both reinforcement elements 19 ', 19" are spaced significantly more than 10 mm from the neutral plane 29 and can thus provide both strength and flexural rigidity of the guide rail 11 increase significantly. Each of the reinforcement elements 19 ′, 19 ″ can have a diameter of 4 to 8 mm, preferably about 6 mm, for example.

In all three embodiments of the Fig. 3 (a) to (c) an indentation 31 which is continuous in the longitudinal direction is formed approximately in the center on a lower side of the foot region 25. Depending on the embodiment, this elongated indentation 31 can be only a few mm deep up to well over 1 cm deep. Among other things, it can contribute to a more uniform force dissipation of forces acting on the head area 21 in the foot area 25 or its flanks 27. Furthermore, during the production of the profile body 17 by pouring concrete into a mold, such an indentation 31 can have an advantageous effect in that no relatively large volumes of concrete need to harden and this may lead to undesirable effects such as mechanical stresses.

In the Fig. 4 (a) to (c) longitudinal sections through various embodiments of profile rails 11 are shown. An elongated reinforcing element 19 is received in each of the elongated profile body 17. A pin 37 protrudes from a first end face 33 of the profile body. A recess 39 is formed in an opposite end face 35. The pin 37 and the recess 39 lie on the same line as the reinforcement element 19 and borders preferably directly on this. The pin 37 can for example be designed as a metal pin. A sleeve 41 can be let into the recess 39. A geometry of the pin 37 and the recess 39 or the sleeve 41 surrounding them can be designed to be complementary to one another in such a way that they can be plugged into one another as positively as possible and with at most little play.

In the Fig. 4 (a) to (c) different configurations of sleeves 41 are shown, which are supported in different ways on an adjacent end of the reinforcement element 19 or surround it locally. Both the sleeves 41 and the pins 37 can optionally with the adjoining or each other Reinforcing element 19 extending in between can be welded, screwed or connected in a mechanically resilient manner in some other way.

In Fig. 5 a perspective partial view of a guide rail arrangement 43 composed of two guide rails 11 is shown. The guide rails 11 are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction and in particular the side surfaces of the guide rails 11 serving as guide surfaces 15 are aligned with one another.

In order to connect the two guide rails 11 with one another in a mechanically resilient manner, the pin 37 protruding from one end face 33 of one profile body 17 is inserted positively into the recess 39 formed on the opposite end face 35 of the other profile body 17. If necessary, the opposite end faces 33, 35 and / or the pegs 37 and depressions 39 protruding therefrom can be glued to one another, for example with the aid of epoxy resin.

In order to be able to connect the two interconnected guide rails 11 to one another in a manner that is particularly resistant to bending forces, a connecting plate 45 in the form of a fish plate can also be provided, which rests on the side surfaces of the two guide rails 11 and can be mechanically connected to them. In particular, the connecting plate 45 can be attached to downwardly directed surfaces of the foot regions 25 in side regions adjoining the opposite end faces 33, 35. For this purpose, bolts or screws 47 can protrude from the connecting plate 45, which for example engage in nuts 49 or inserts in each of the guide rails 11 and can be firmly connected to them. For example, the nuts 49 or inserts can be poured into the concrete of the respective profile body 17. Alternatively, screws or bolts can also be poured into the concrete of the profile body 17 and then fastened to the connecting plate 45 by means of suitable nuts or other counterparts.

The proposed guide rails 11 or guide arrangements 43 can be fastened in an elevator shaft 5 in a manner similar to conventional T-steel profiles. For example, brackets can protrude laterally Cover the flanks 27 of the foot region 25 of the profile body 17 and fasten them to the walls 9 with screws or bolts. The guide rail arrangement 43 can then serve essentially in the same way as conventional guide rail arrangements for guiding guide shoes 13 of the elevator car 3. In order to ensure a smooth transition between adjacent guide rails 11, the two guide rails 11 can be glued to one another and a gap between these two can be filled with adhesive. The adhesive can be epoxy or polyurethane, possibly with the addition of quartz sand.

In order to be able to take into account the different physical properties of the concrete guide rails 11 compared to T-steel profiles, safety devices such as a safety brake of the elevator car 3, which should be supported on the guide rail 11 in the event of actuation, can be adapted. For example, a braking surface with which such a safety brake should rest on the guide rail 11 can be enlarged and / or covered with a protective layer, for example made of plastic, in order to avoid excessive pressures on the guide rail 11, in particular locally concentrated pressures.

The proposed guide rail 11, which consists mainly of concrete, can be produced simply and, in particular, inexpensively. Furthermore, it is easy to handle and assemble due to its lower weight compared to steel rails.

Finally, it should be pointed out that terms such as “having”, “comprising”, etc. do not exclude any other elements or steps and that terms such as “a” or “an” do not exclude a plurality. It should also be pointed out that features or steps that have been described with reference to one of the above exemplary embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other exemplary embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims are not to be regarded as a restriction.

List of reference symbols

1

Elevator system

3

Elevator cabin

5

Elevator shaft

7th

Suspension means

9

Shaft wall

11

Guide rail

13th

Brake shoe

15th

Guide surface

17th

Profile body

19th

Reinforcement element

21

Head area

23

Body area

25th

Foot area

27

Flank

29

neutral plane

31

indentation

33

first face

35

second face

37

Cones

39

deepening

41

Sleeve

43

Guide rail assembly

45

Connecting plate

47

Screws

49

Nuts

Claims (15)

1. Freestanding guide rail (11) for an elevator system (1), comprising an elongate profile body (17) which can be detachably fastened to a wall (9) of an elevator shaft (5) of the elevator system (1), the profile body (17) predominantly consisting of concrete, characterized in that
   at least one guide surface (15) of the guide rail (11) that is formed by an outer surface of the guide rail (11) is at least predominantly made of concrete.
2. Guide rail according to claim 1, wherein the concrete is a high-performance concrete.
3. Guide rail according to either of the preceding claims, wherein the concrete is fiber-reinforced.
4. Guide rail according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the profile body (17) has a cross section having a broad lower foot region (25), a narrow upper head region (21) and preferably a body region (23) which connects the foot region (25) and the head region (21) and widens toward the foot region (25).
5. Guide rail according to claim 4, wherein the head region (21) has two lateral guide surfaces (15) extending in parallel with one another.
6. Guide rail according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a reinforcement extending in the longitudinal direction is received in the profile body (17).
7. Guide rail according to claim 6, wherein the reinforcement has at least one reinforcement element (19) which extends in the longitudinal direction and is arranged in a plane (29) of the profile body (17) that is neutral under thrust and tension.
8. Guide rail according to either claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the reinforcement has at least two reinforcement elements (19', 19") which extend in the longitudinal direction, one of which (19') is arranged below a plane (29) of the profile body (17) that is neutral under thrust and tension and the other (19") is arranged above the plane (29) of the profile body (17) which is neutral under thrust and tension.
9. Guide rail according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a pin (37) which projects beyond a first end surface (33) of the profile body (17) and a recess (39) which extends into a second front surface (35) of the profile body (17).
10. Guide rail according to claim 9, wherein the pin (37) and the recess (39) are formed having geometries which are substantially complementary to one another.
11. Guide rail arrangement (43) comprising a plurality of guide rails (11) according to any of claims 1 to 10, which are arranged behind one another in the longitudinal extension direction and in alignment with one another with respect to lateral guide surfaces (15).
12. Guide rail arrangement according to claim 11, wherein directly adjacent guide rails (11) are connected in a plug-in manner by means of a pin (37) protruding from an end face (33) of a guide rail (11) and engaging in a recess (39) in an opposite end face (35) of the adjacent guide rail (11).
13. Guide rail arrangement according to either of claims 11 and 12, wherein directly adjacent guide rails (11) are glued to one another on mutually adjacent end faces (33, 35).
14. Guide rail arrangement according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein adjacent guide rails (11) are in each case attached to a common connecting plate (45) in a lateral region adjacent to opposite end faces (33, 35).
15. Elevator system (1), comprising an elevator shaft (5) and an elevator car (3), wherein at least one guide rail (11) according to any of claims 1 to 10 or a guide rail arrangement (43) according to any of claims 11 to 14 is mounted on the walls (9) of the elevator shaft (5).

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