High-speed elevators are elevators that move faster than regular elevators and are common in skyscrapers and towers. Wheelchair access laws often require elevators in new multistory buildings, especially where wheelchair ramps are not possible. Languages other than English, such as Japanese, may refer to elevators by loanwords based on either elevator or lift. Several types exist, such as the chain and bucket elevator, grain auger screw conveyor using the principle of Archimedes' screw, or the chain and paddles or forks of hay elevators. In agriculture and manufacturing, an elevator is any type of conveyor device used to lift materials in a continuous stream into bins or silos. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems such as a hoist, although some pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack. This elevator to the Alexanderplatz U-Bahn station in Berlin is built with glass walls and doors, exposing the inner workings.Īn elevator ( North American English) or lift ( British English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. JSTOR ( October 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
