If some time ago the elevator was considered more of a whim of mankind than a necessity, now most people simply cannot do without it. The construction of high-rise buildings in itself implies the presence of this structure. Otherwise, many will not be able to get to their place of work even by the end of the working day.
The first elevators were the privilege of the nobility. Even in ancient Rome, a kind of elevator was constructed, which was raised not with the help of a mechanism, but by means of servants or draft animals. The primitive device was invented by Archimedes and only remotely resembled an elevator, but, nevertheless, was actively used.
In the 18th century, elevators were powered by steam engines. Lifting devices were then widely used in industry, in particular in coal mining. At that time, the elevator was designed in Versailles, for Louis XV, they are mentioned in the history of the Russian Empire, as well as in the history of Great Britain.
In the 19th century, elevators gained their popularity due to the mass introduction of. That time was marked by the construction of multi-storey buildings in large cities, where the land cost incredible money, and it had to be saved.
A significant contribution to the development of the elevator design was made by the American Elish Graves Otis. He did not invent the elevator, as is commonly believed, but significantly improved its operation. Otis invented only an automatic elevator safety device, but this provided safety for passengers, which in itself was fundamental.
How did the first elevator appear?
The device worked according to the following principle: it stopped the elevator when the cable broke. The cable was attached to the elevator platform through a spring that got stuck in the teeth of the rails when the cables broke. This prevented the elevator from falling into the shaft.
Otis’ inquisitive mind made him constantly do something. At various times he worked at a sawmill, made carriages and was a construction worker. The idea of the catcher device was born by the inventor when he worked at a furniture factory. It was there that the first experiments were carried out using a platform with boards, which he tried to raise, according to his plans.
The idea of Elisha Graves Otis was not implemented immediately, due to an accident during testing. The public reacted to the device with concern, and investors were in no hurry to invest in a dubious device. Only after Otis himself tested the platform in front of a crowd of people, he was believed.
This was in 1853, and already in 1857 the Otis Steam Lift Company completed its first order. The company installed its first passenger elevator in a five-story building on Broadway. The steam elevator could withstand a load of no more than five people and moved very slowly – 20 cm per second.
Hydraulic elevators went up faster than Otis’ steam elevators due to the force of the water pushing the elevator. Naturally, this was more convenient, and hydraulic lifts were used more often. The only problem here was that the piston required a very deep shaft. But even this did not become a serious obstacle to the use of hydraulic elevators. By the way, skyscrapers were not built at that time precisely because of problems with lifts.
How did the first elevator appear?
In 1880, the German company “Siemens and Halske” came up with an electric elevator – it was a real breakthrough. The speed of this elevator was twenty-two meters in eleven seconds. Naturally, both the steam elevator and the hydraulic one have receded into the past. The firm of Elisha Graves Otis after some time adopted the idea of a new design and already in 1889 installed an electric elevator in a New York skyscraper.
How did the first elevator appear?
Currently, there are several lifting devices in each multi-storey building. Now these are perfect designs that are distinguished by reliability and durability.
