Reference
Elevator Glossary
The elevator industry speaks its own language. Every term defined precisely, with context for how each is used in the field.
B 1 term
C 4 terms
Car Door The door panels mounted on the elevator car that travel with it, driven by the door operator and coupled to the landing doors at each floor through the door coupler mechanism. Car Frame The structural steel framework that supports the elevator car enclosure, attaches to the guide rails via roller guides or slide guides, and houses the safety device. Controller The electronic system that manages all aspects of elevator operation including motor control, door timing, floor dispatching, safety circuit monitoring, and communication with building systems. Counterweight A stack of cast-iron or concrete blocks that balances the weight of the elevator car plus approximately 40–50 percent of the rated load capacity, reducing the work required of the motor.
D 2 terms
Dispatching The process by which the elevator controller assigns car calls and hall calls to specific elevators in a group, using algorithms to optimise wait time, travel time, and energy consumption. Door Operator The motor-driven mechanism mounted on top of the elevator car that opens and closes the car doors and, through the door coupler, the landing doors at each floor.
G 3 terms
Governor A speed-sensing safety device mounted at the top of the hoistway that triggers the car safety mechanism if the elevator exceeds a preset overspeed threshold. Group Supervisory Control A system that coordinates multiple elevators serving the same floors, assigning incoming hall calls to the car that can respond most efficiently based on current position, direction, and load. Guide Rails Vertical steel T-shaped rails mounted inside the hoistway that guide the car and counterweight during travel and provide the gripping surface for the safety device in an emergency stop.
H 2 terms
Hoistway The vertical shaft or enclosure in which the elevator car and counterweight travel, extending from the pit at the bottom to the overhead at the top. Hydraulic Elevator An elevator system that uses a hydraulic jack — a cylinder and piston driven by pressurised oil — to raise the car, with gravity providing the force for descent.
I 1 term
L 2 terms
Landing Door The door assembly mounted in the hoistway wall at each floor, held closed by an interlock and opened by the door coupler when the car arrives at that landing. Load Weighing A system that measures the weight of the car load, used by the controller to prevent overloading, optimise dispatching, and adjust motor torque for smooth starts.
M 1 term
O 1 term
P 1 term
R 2 terms
Releveling The automatic correction of the car position at a landing after the initial stop, compensating for rope stretch or load changes that cause the car floor to drift out of alignment with the landing floor. Roping The arrangement of hoist ropes, sheaves, and attachment points that connects the car, counterweight, and drive sheave, described as 1:1 (direct) or 2:1 (with a mechanical advantage that halves rope speed relative to car speed).
S 2 terms
Safety Device A mechanical device mounted on the car frame that grips the guide rails to stop the car in a controlled manner when triggered by the governor, preventing free-fall in the event of rope failure or overspeed. Sheave A grooved wheel over which the hoist ropes pass, transmitting motion from the motor to the car and counterweight through friction between the ropes and the groove surface.
T 2 terms
Traction Elevator An elevator system that uses steel wire ropes or belts passing over a grooved sheave to raise and lower the car, relying on friction (traction) between the ropes and sheave to transmit motion. Travelling Cable A flexible multi-conductor cable that connects the elevator car to the controller, carrying power for lighting, door operator, and communication circuits as the car moves through the hoistway.
U 1 term