Stefan Kaczmarczyk has a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and he obtained his doctorate in Engineering Dynamics. He is Professor of Applied Mechanics and Postgraduate Programme Leader for Lift Engineering at the University of Northampton. His expertise is in the area of applied dynamics and vibration with particular applications to vertical transportation and material handling systems.
He has been involved in collaborative research with a number of national and international partners and has an extensive track record in consulting and research in vertical transportation and lift engineering. Professor Kaczmarczyk has published over 90 journal and international conference papers in this field. He is a Chartered Engineer, being a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and he has been serving on the Applied Mechanics Group Committee of the Institute of Physics.
The overtravel arrest mechanism consists of buffers beneath the car and often beneath the counterweight. Three types of buffer are permitted by EN81-20 / 50 safety code: linear, energy accumulation type buffers, non-linear energy accumulation buffers, and energy dissipation buffers. During lift car/counterweight buffering, both in free fall and in the scenario when the suspension remains intact, various adverse dynamic phenomena may occur and should be considered. This paper presents a simplified model for predicting the dynamic behaviour of a lift system during overtravel under buffer-strike conditions. The model is derived from first engineering principles and incorporates both linear and nonlinear buffer characteristics. It is implemented in a computer simulation environment, where simulations are conducted over a range of buffer impact speeds and lift system parameters to evaluate buffering forces and impact-induced dynamic phenomena.
DYNAMIC RESPONSES OF LIFT SYSTEMS UNDER OVERTRAVEL AND BUFFER IMPACT CONDITIONS
Professor Stefan Kaczmarczyk.
University of Northampton, UK.