Brake failures to be examined at Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies

A popular view on lift brake maintenance could have fatal consequences, according to an expert from the University of Northampton.

Visiting Professor, David Cooper, will present a paper about a risky attitude towards brakes, when he appears at the 12th annual UON-supported Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies.

The study explains that despite industry standards improving, brake failures still occur, with consequences ranging from near misses to multiple fatalities.

It is stated in the paper: “Many service technicians take the view that with the introduction of variable frequency drives into the lift and escalator industry the brake no longer needs maintaining.

“Our paper demonstrates that this opinion is incorrect. It looks at what happens when a brake fails, the causes and examples of failure and how standards have developed to reduce the risk of brake failure.”

The symposium highlights will also include a paper by Dr Rory Smith, Visiting Professor at UON, who will present his findings on the topic of future modernisations in the industry.

According to the paper: “Modernisation has been a part of the lift industry for a very long time. There are buildings that are over 100 years old that have been modernised multiple times but continue to use the original direct current machine.

“Both societal changes and technical innovations will make the modernizations of the very near future different from the modernisations of the present.”

Read the abstracts on the symposium website.

The symposium brings together experts from the field of vertical transportation, offering opportunities for speakers to present peer-reviewed papers on the subject of their research. Speakers include industry experts, academics and postgraduate students.

The objective of the event is to advance research and education in lift, escalator and related technologies. The symposium will feature international papers on selected themes and panel discussions.

The 12th Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies takes place online, on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 September.

The event is supported by the University, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and The Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA).

You can register for the symposium on the website.