Lift

An escalator is basically a conveyor belt capable of carrying passengers either horizontally or between floors. They are most commonly found in shopping centres, train stations and a variety of other locations. They have the ability not only to carry passengers, but also to dissipate crowds and create a steady flow of ‘traffic’ by acting as a bottleneck. Large crowds of people wishing to travel to another floor can be thinned and an order is created by the nature of the escalator. They are extremely useful in situations where a staircase would prove too difficult to use, and a passenger lift is not practical. Passenger lifts can only carry a limited number of passengers at one time, and take a while to complete their journey. An escalator provides a constant source of transport, and help large numbers of people travel continuously.

An escalator may be found in a large multi-storey shop. The installation of an escalator in this setting can be relatively simple; it would be unlikely to suffer much wear and tear, and mostly wouldn’t carry a huge number of passengers. These escalators are called ‘light-duty’, as they are not subject to the use an escalator in an airport might get for example. They are constructed to fit the requirements of their location, and to safely and efficiently carry their expected load. Aspects such as height, length and average capacity must be considered when thinking of installing an escalator in any location, to ensure the escalator is unique to it’s surroundings and can operate to a high standard.

An escalator installed in an airport would potentially be subject to a lot more damage than one in the location described previously. Horizontal escalators are often installed in airports to aid the travel of passengers within the airport. They often have long distances to travel, with a large amount of luggage so an escalator can be extremely useful. They are also beneficial as they help ease congestion; something very useful in a busy airport packed with many safety and passport checks. These escalators would need to be heavy-duty to withstand their average load safely and smoothly. Any escalator will be installed with as little hassle as possible, and made to operate in such a way as to cause a minimum of inconvenience to the user. The requirement for maintenance is reduced when an escalator is installed correctly, and it is important they are made to adhere to government safety regulations.