One of the critical differences between the gearless and geared elevator is the machine room. It is no need for the machine in the gearless elevators as the wheel is quickly attached to the home and the motor.
2. • With the day-to-day updating technology, there are multiple and new types of elevators that keep emerging.
Though the most common ones are gearless elevator machine manufacturers producing gearless and the
other popular one is geared elevators. Therefore, some main comparisons need to be made while
concluding the decision.21n this article, some crucial comparisons about these two types are explained,
helping you make your desired choice.
3. The Standing Of The Wheel
• Both gearless and geared elevators are traction elevators. The most typical ones on which the support of
rolling steel ropes the cabins are pulled up a pass over a wheel attached to a motor on top of the elevator
shaft. The standing of the wheel is the main difference among both the elevators. In the gearless traction
elevators, the wheels are above the cabin and moves with the cabin. On the geared traction elevators, the
wheels are located in the machine room above the elevator shaft.
4. The Requirement For The Machine Room
• One of the critical differences between the gearless and geared elevator is the machine room. There is no
need for the machine in the gearless elevators as the wheel is directly attached to the cabin and the motor.
But in the geared elevators, electric motor and wheel have to be placed in a machine room located on top of
the elevator shaft. It is why gearless elevators are also known as MRL (Machine Room Less) elevators.
• Machine rooms are typically located on top of the elevator shaft and must be considered during the
construction of the building. The machine room is required to be air-conditioned and well-lightened. In
addition, the machine rooms have a significant size and need to the planned adequately at the architectural
design of the building. So machine rooms can be termed as a waste of place and a massive demerit of
geared elevators.
5. Energy Consumption
• Gearless elevator machine manufacturers produced a comparatively smaller motor than geared elevator
motors because they do not have gears, making the gearless motors shape smaller up to half of a geared
motor.
• Furthermore, as the size of the motor is smaller, the other remaining components will also be relatively
smaller, making resolve the efficiency issue and making the gearless motors more advantageous. Also, it
makes the gearless motor more systematic on electricity usage.
6. Comfort
• Comfort is another benefit that the gearless elevators possess compared to the geared ones during the
decelerating, moving, and accelerating. Gearless traction elevators have a significant ability to level with the
floors. In addition, gearless motors generate less noise, smoother on stopping and moving, and make lesser
vibrations on the cabin while in motion. Automatically, it makes gearless elevators more comfortable
compared to geared traction elevators.
• Capacity Issues
• Gearless traction elevators can speed upto 610 meters per minute with a maximum 600 meters travel
distance. In contrast, geared traction elevators can travel up to 152 meters per minute speed and a
maxi of nearly 75 meters height. Both the geared and gearless elevator machine manufactures are built
to load the same efficient enough for passenger travel. Although the necessities may vary depending on
the projects, it is evident that gearless elevators have more merits than geared ones about travel
distance and speed capabilities.
7. Maintenance
• In the case of both motors, maintenance is the main issue. However, geared traction elevators have more
significant engines than gearless ones, which demand more prominent combined equipment making the
maintenance harder.
• Also, the geared motors demand grease, which must be changed regularly, making the maintenance more
expensive and more challenging. Because of the maintenance issues, gearless traction elevators top the
most with their ideal advantages ( the instruments are small, and there is no oil usage in gearless ones),
which the geared elevators lack.
• The unique quality of both elevators:
8. Geared Traction Elevators
• These geared traction elevators have a gearbox attached to the motor, turns the hoisting sheave, and moves
the rope. The geared traction elevators are driven either by alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC),
and their max speed is up to 500 ft. per minute. The speed limit of this is comparatively lower compared to
gearless traction elevators but higher than other types of elevators.
• Geared traction elevators have low energy consumption and proper maintenance and installation costs.
While their speed is slower than gearless elevators, geared elevators offer benefits of energy efficiency as
they consume less power to turn the sheave (pulley). Furthermore, these elevators are competent for
traveling to a maximum distance of 250 ft. However, these elevators can lift loads upto 13600 kg.
9. Gearless Traction Elevators
• The gearless elevators machine manufactures has built it where the wheels are directly attached to the motor. As a result,
it has a considerably high travel speed that is upto 2000 ft. per minute and can travel significant distances making it an
optimal choice for high-rise buildings. These elevators can be employed in all types of buildings of any height and a much
greater speed than any other hydraulic motors.
• These elevators operate using hoisting ropes that are attached to the elevator above and packed around the sheave on
one end. The other end of the cable is joined with a balance that lowers and arises in the hoistway. Together, the
counterweight and cab weight press the cable, turning the sheave, and the elevator starts moving.
• The counterweight is matched with the elevator cab weight and half-load of the passengers to maintain the minimum load
on the electric motor. Therefore it ultimately minimizes the energy consumption as the electric motor only bears the half
cab weight load.
10. Conclusion
• With the above-discussed comparisons, it is proven that gearless elevator machine manufacturers produce
the most advantageous traction elevator than the geared ones. But the real issues come with the money and
needs. No doubt, gearless elevator motors are more expensive compared to geared ones. Therefore, when
the geared elevators are estimated for the calculated requirements, it would be ideal to select geared
elevator motors to save expenses and compatible with the projected budget. So, at last, money is the thing
that matters in our decisions.
