Seismic Behavior of Elevator Rail-Counterweight Systems: Nonlinear Mathematical Modeling and Shake Table Validation

Abstract

This study investigates the dynamic response of the elevator rail–counterweight system through both mathematical modeling and shaking table experiments. The research was conducted in two main stages, consisting of theoretical and experimental analyses. In the theoretical phase, a nonlinear mathematical model with four degrees-of-freedom was developed to represent the seismic behavior of the rail–counterweight system. In the experimental phase, a physical test setup representing the elevator rail–counterweight system was designed and constructed. Within the scope of both analyses, sine sweep excitations and real earthquake records were applied as input motions. The experimental results were used to validate the proposed mathematical model. The comparison between the model predictions and the experimental measurements demonstrated a good level of agreement. The findings indicate that the dynamic behavior of rail–counterweight systems can be effectively analyzed using mathematical modeling approaches. Such modeling enables the dynamic performance of elevator systems to be evaluated during the design stage, allowing potential modifications to be implemented rapidly and their effects to be assessed efficiently.