Is it 100% "foolproof" to use an elevator? I've always assumed that if for some reason the elevator I was in started plunging to the ground, some sort of safety brakes would kick in and save me. Is this or is this not the case? Are there safety brakes? If there are, how many floors would it take before they actually pulled up the elevator?
2007-08-26 04:14:05 · 3 answers · asked by michael 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
Elevators are mature technology.
Yes, there are automatic over-speed brakes,
and other safeties as well.
As to '100% foolproof "... We just do the best
we can, and await the inevitable appearance of
the fool greater than the proof.
2007-08-26 10:28:29 · answer #1 · answered by Irv S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is very, very rare that elevator safety mechanisms fail, and cables almost never snap since there are so many of them. There is a centrifugal switch that halts the elevator if its speed is too high, and it varies how many floors it takes to stop (depends on model and mass of the elevator). And if you get stuck in the elevator somebody else in the building would soon notice and contact emergency to get you out, so my opinion is that it's almost foolproof but not quite.
2007-08-26 11:20:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe that using elevators is about as safe as walking.
2007-08-26 11:21:24 · answer #3 · answered by langdonrjones 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋