Dynamic Analysis for Elevators Installed in Mid-Story Seismic Isolated Buildings

A mid-story seismic isolated building has isolators at mid-story and it is a good candidate for seismic retrofitting. Elevators for mid-story seismic isolated buildings receive strong rail bending stress due to the floor gap at the isolated floor. To reduce rail stress, a new elevator system has been established that has a long rail support span at the isolated floor. But it has complicated dynamic behavior including large rail deformation and guide contact with the rail. To evaluate such dynamic responses, we developed a nonlinear finite element model. Simulation results were validated by experiments, with the model. After precisely checking the rail bending stress, we derived an optimal elevator design against earthquakes.