New elevator technology

Might change the face of Vegas where up is the best way to expand.

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21579437-new-lightweight-lift-cable-will-let-buildings-soar-ever-upward-other?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/pe/theothermilehighclub

 

Interesting! Learn something new every day. I never realized that there were limitations on how far up an elevator could go.

 

very interesting, thanks.

 

Cool, but I never understood why the use of cables? Why not have a dual cog and rail system(each side of the car) with an electric motor and a 3rd electified rail. It's can go on forever, and travel in other directions besides vertical.

imagine something like this vertically instead of horizontal.

Get a building that's immense like the Pentagon and you could have them horizontal taking you from one part of the building to the other, link horizontal with vertical shafts and you could theoretically take a lift anywhere on a floor to anywhere on another floor.

 

This hasn't been too much of an issue for Las Vegas. The number of floors the resorts have is well below what traditional elevator systems can handle. While more convenient the use of carbon fiber ropes doesn't change all that much since tall buildings can use a tiered system of elevators to get higher, it just makes things more convenient. I'm sure there is a long way to go as carbon fiber is more susceptible to sheering than steel, despite the higher tensile strength, which will lead to more frequent inspections.

 

Of course, the key will be if these new elevators have buttons on both sides of the elevator doors. Don't want the super high elevators to be "ghetto." :evillaugh

 

Current floor heights in LV are as high as Jimbo needs to go, I think. Interesting article though, and I too was unaware of some limitations of elevators.

Jimbo338

 

LV doesn't have "tall" buildings by world standards. Big yes.

 

Some scientists think we'll have Space Elevators once diamond strand technology is perfected. They would require a hell of a long cable.

Bill

 

and a hell of a lot of trust to get on one. what happens if the thing breaks and you just plummet?

 

Maybe they'll give everyone a parachute and equip them with an eject button!

But seriously, their main function would be to transport raw materials into orbit. Building a functional space elevator is the necessary first step to colonizing space. Large scale space stations must be built in orbit rather than on earth, and transporting the construction materials via traditional rockets is extremely cost prohibitive.

 

Perhaps before reaching the sky we could muster some technology that allows the Bally's escalators to bring you up one or two floors?

 

Exponentially higher chance of complete failure of the mechanism. Cable lifts have some pretty reliable failsafes built into them. And efficiency is much greater with the cable system than what you could get from that system.

 

I'm sure the rail systems can have the same style braking systems that elevators have today. Better efficiency would move towards a cog system once the amount of cable reaches it's limits. This could theoretically go on forever without any additional weight or components. But then again, if it were feasible, it would probably be done already, besides car lifts you see in repair garages where it's common.

 

I worked on this for 10 years and finally came up with the name 'Ultra-Rope'.

 

Yeah, I think they run in to FAA issues before they start hitting elevator limitations. Remember, the Eiffel Tower replica was supposed to be full size in the original plans, but the FAA wouldn't allow it. For the same reason the Stratosphere isn't taller than the CN Tower, as originally planned.

It would seem that having the airport so close to the city is the biggest limitation on building height in Vegas.

 

I would be impressed if they simply improved the efficiently or speed of the existing elevators.

 

Now if we can just get escalators that work on the walkways.....lol

 

I will be happy when all hotel elevators need a key card to operate. Where you cannot even open the elevator doors without one. I hate it when a vagrant gets into my hotel and into the elevator. Once that happens, they are gone, and I am stuck going floor to floor checking all the stairwells looking for them.