Elevator balance compensation chains are composed of electric welding anchor chains and metal wires, with the metal wires woven around the electric welding anchor chains.
The advantages of elevator balance compensation chains in practical operation include their ability to rise and fall with the elevator's movement and operate with a certain bending radius, moving up and down hundreds to thousands of times a day. These chains do not age, are unaffected by temperature, resistant to oil contamination, wear-resistant, damage-resistant, low-noise, and have a long service life.
I. Elevator Balance Compensation Chain Structure
Key Points to Understand When Selecting Elevator Balance Compensation Chains
What structures do balance compensation chains have, and how should they be selected?
There are several types of compensation chains on the market:
-
Rope-through compensation chain, a primitive type of compensation chain, can only be used for elevators with a speed of 1.75m/s or less. The structure involves threading hemp rope through an iron chain. This type of compensation chain generates significant noise due to friction and collision between the chains during operation, and passengers experience a noticeable shaking sensation inside the car. The advantage is its low cost, but most elevator companies have discontinued its use.
-
Plastic-coated compensation chain, to reduce the noise generated by the rope-through compensation chain during operation and to slow down the corrosion of the iron chain by the environment, a layer of PVC tube is wrapped around the rope-through compensation chain, forming a plastic-coated compensation chain. Compared to the rope-through compensation chain, the noise during operation of the plastic-coated compensation chain is greatly reduced, and it is more aesthetically pleasing, but improvements are still needed in terms of flexibility and durability.
-
Fully plastic compensation chain, suitable for high-speed elevators up to 6m/s, with a cable-like PVC structure, the elevator operation can achieve a smooth and quiet effect, favored by many large elevator companies.
After determining the type of balance compensation chain, the number of compensation chains and the installation method must also be considered. Generally, first, determine the weight of the compensation chain by subtracting the weight of the traveling cable from the weight of the traction rope, then determine the weight per meter of the compensation chain, and finally select from the manufacturer's range of compensation chains. Professional compensation chain manufacturers usually have flexible weight selection schemes. There is an allowable error range in the calculation of the weight per meter of the compensation chain. Within the error range, there are two options: either to use two compensation chains with a lighter weight per meter or one compensation chain with a heavier weight per meter. This mainly depends on the layout of the buffers in the elevator system. If there is one buffer under the car and one under the counterweight, or two buffers under the car and one under the counterweight, then using two compensation chains is more appropriate; if there are two buffers under both the car and the counterweight, then one compensation chain should be used.
