Whenever you stand in the elevator, listen to the sound of the machine running, press the floor button, and arrive at your destination in a few seconds, have you ever thought about what kind of history is hidden behind this seemingly ordinary small space? Today we will talk about the development history of elevators.

The origin of elevators

In ancient times, people have begun to use primitive lifting tools to transport people and food, store them in trees or mountains to avoid the invasion of wild beasts or floods, or lift heavier objects from low places, but all of them are driven by human or animal power. In ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece and other countries with relatively developed social productivity, there are also historical records of lifting and lifting machinery used for production labor.

Elevator prototype

In 1765, the British Watt invented the steam engine, and humans began to use mechanical power to complete heavy physical activities.

As steam engines became an important prime mover, steam engines began to be used as the power of lifting tools in Europe and the United States, and they were constantly innovated and improved. So in 1835, steam engine-driven elevators appeared in Britain. It was driven by belt drive and worm gear reducer, mainly used for vertical transportation of goods.

The birth of the world’s first elevator

In 1845, the British Thomson made the world’s first hydraulic elevator. At that time, the elevator was not perfect and it was difficult to ensure safety, so it was rarely used to carry people.

The first passenger elevator

In 1852, Alice Graves Tis, a mechanical engineer from Otis in Yonkers, New York, USA, showed his invention to the public at an exhibition, announcing the birth of the elevator and dispelling people’s long-standing doubts about the safety of elevators.

The first city to install a passenger elevator

• In 1857, Otis Company installed the world’s first passenger elevator in New York.
• History of Elevator Development
• In 1889, Audis Company made the world’s first DC motor-driven elevator;
• In 1899, the first step-type horizontal step made of hardwood, with movable handrails and comb plate escalator was successfully trial-produced;
• In 1892, button operation began to replace the previous operation method of pulling ropes in the car;
• In 1915, the elevator with micro-adjustment automatic leveling was manufactured;
• In 1924, the first signal control system was installed, which greatly simplified the operation of the elevator driver;
• In 1928, the collective control elevator was developed and installed;
• In 1946, the group control method was used on the elevator;
• In 1990, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan used the variable frequency speed control motor system for hydraulic elevator drive;
• In 1996, KONE Elevator Company of Finland released the latest design of machine room-less elevator Mono Space, which is driven by ACX permanent magnet synchronous motor variable voltage variable frequency speed regulation;
• In 1997, Schindler Elevator Company demonstrated the MOB machine room-less elevator. As the floors of modern buildings continue to rise, the speed and load of elevators are also increasing. The world’s highest elevator speed has reached 16 meters per second;
• In 1982, France, Germany and Japan jointly developed a linear motor elevator, which was successfully installed and used in Japan in 1989.
• At present, in order to reduce the cost of buildings and improve the effective utilization of building area, five-machine room elevators have been widely used.

With safe and reliable elevators, humans began to pursue higher buildings. In the early 20th century, the Singer Building and the Empire State Building in New York were built one after another, marking the beginning of the era of skyscrapers. However, as the height of buildings continued to rise, traditional stone materials could not meet the demand due to weight restrictions. Engineers turned to steel beam supports and replaced the exterior walls with thin masonry or glass curtain walls, which not only reduced the weight of the building, but also improved the lighting conditions.

Nowadays, elevators have not only changed the design of buildings, but also promoted the vertical expansion of urban space. Modern urban forms such as high-rise residential buildings, office buildings, and shopping centers cannot do without the support of elevators. At the same time, the development of elevators has also spawned new laws, regulations and management systems to ensure passenger safety.