Build Materials (for each team)
- Glue
- String
- Paperclips
- Paper
- Pencils
- Cardboard
- Cardboard tubes (such as from paper towel or toilet paper rolls)
- Markers
- Pulleys or thread spools (3)
- Thin rope
- String or fishing line
Testing Materials
- Cardboard box to serve as elevator room (shoe box, large milk carton)
- Small toy cars
An elevator or lift is a transport device used to move goods or people vertically. The first safety elevator was introduced in 1853 by Elisha Otis. Its design prevented the fall of the cab if the cable broke. The design of the OTIS safety is somewhat similar to one type still used today. The safety elevator used a special mechanism to lock the elevator car in place should the hoisting ropes fail. Otis made skyscrapers possible by providing safe mechanical transport to upper floors when on March 23, 1857, the first Otis elevator was installed at 488 Broadway in New York City.
In general, there are three means of moving an elevator: traction, hydraulic, or climbing:
Traction elevators: Geared Traction machines are driven by AC or DC electric motors. Geared machines use worm gears to control mechanically movement of elevator cars by “rolling” steel hoist ropes over a drive sheave which is attached to a gearbox driven by a high-speed motor. A brake is mounted between the motor and drive sheave (or gearbox) to hold the elevator stationary at a floor. The grooves in the drive sheave are specially designed to prevent the cables from slipping. “Traction” is provided to the ropes by the grip of the grooves in the sheave, thereby the name. As the ropes age and the traction grooves wear, some traction is lost, and the ropes must be replaced, and the sheave repaired or replaced.
Hydraulic elevators: Conventional Hydraulic elevators were first developed by Dover Elevator (now ThyssenKrupp Elevator). They are quite common for low and medium rise buildings (2-10 floors) and use a hydraulically powered plunger to push the elevator upwards. On some, the hydraulic piston (plunger) consists of telescoping concentric tubes, allowing a shallow tube to contain the mechanism below the lowest floor. On others, the piston requires a deeper hole below the bottom landing, usually with a PVC casing (also known as a caisson) for protection.
Climbing elevator: A climbing elevator is a self-ascending elevator with its own propulsion. The propulsion can be done by an electric or a combustion engine. Climbing elevators are used in guyed masts or towers, in order to make easy access to parts of these constructions, such as flight safety lamps for maintenance.
Student Challenge
Student teams work as engineers who have been given the challenge of building a small elevator system to deliver cars to a three-story toy car garage. The elevator must be able to securely stop at each floor and lift a toy car of a set weight.
Success Criteria
- Exhibit an understanding of how to design an elevator.
- Show a working knowledge about elevator operations.
- Demonstrate the ability to work in teams and groups.
Engineering Constraints
Use only the materials provided.
- Begin the lesson by reviewing the power of pulleys.
- Break class into teams of 2-3.
- Hand out the Engineering Ups and Downs worksheet, as well as some sheets of paper for sketching designs.
- Review the engineering design process, design challenge, criteria, constraints and materials.
- Provide each team with their materials.
- Explain that students must develop a hand-powered elevator to deliver toy cars to a three-story parking garage. You may wish to require a certain weight for each load or determine that each car is a similar weight. The elevators must be able to stop at each floor and lift a set weight.
- Announce the amount of time they have to design and build (1 hour recommended).
- Use a timer or an online stopwatch (countdown feature) to ensure you keep on time. Give students regular “time checks” so they stay on task. If they are struggling, ask questions that will lead them to a solution quicker.
- Students meet and develop a plan for their elevator. They agree on materials they will need, write/draw their plan, and present their plan to the class. Teams may trade unlimited materials with other teams to develop their ideal parts list.
- Teams build their designs.
To speed up the construction process, you may wish to create the three-level “garage” first, and then simply have each team move their elevator to the garage for testing. This will eliminate the need for each team to make the garage themselves. Garages can be three shoe boxes taped together, or some other simple structure. Also, if students glue any part of their elevator system, it may require an overnight drying period.
- Test the elevator designs by having each team demonstrate how their design delivers cars to each of the three stories of the garage.
As a class, discuss outcomes using the questions found on the student handout as a guide:
- Did you succeed in creating an elevator that could deliver cars to three stories of the toy car garage? If not, why did it fail?
- Did you need to request additional or different materials while building your elevator? If so, what happened between the design (drawing) and the actual construction that changed your material needs?
- Do you think that engineers have to adapt their original plans during the manufacturing process? Why might they?
- If you had to do it all over again, how would your planned design change? Why?
- What designs or methods did you see other teams try that you thought worked well?
- Did you find that there were many designs in your classroom that met the project goal? What does this tell you about engineering plans?
- Did you find there was an advantage to working in a team for this project?
- Do you think that the expectations of riders have impacted the designs of elevators? For example, how has the design been adjusted to accommodate riders with disabilities?
- What safety considerations do you think engineers must integrate into new elevator designs? For example, many elevators have telephones on board in case of emergencies. What else can you identify?
Next Generation Science Standards – Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)
Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
Engineering Design
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
3-5-ETS1-1.Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2.Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5-ETS1-3.Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
Next Generation Science Standards – Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)
Engineering Design
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
MS-ETS1-2 Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Standards for Technological Literacy – All Ages
The Nature of Technology
Standard 1: Students will develop an understanding of the characteristics and scope of technology.
Standard 2: Students will develop an understanding of the core concepts of technology.
Standard 3: Students will develop an understanding of the relationships among technologies and the connections between technology and other fields of study.
Standards for Technological Literacy – All Ages
Technology and Society
Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology.
Standard 5: Students will develop an understanding of the effects of technology on the environment.
Standard 6: Students will develop an understanding of the role of society in the development and use of technology.
Standard 7: Students will develop an understanding of the influence of technology on history.
Design
Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.
Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving.
Abilities for a Technological World
Standard 11: Students will develop abilities to apply the design process.
Standard 13: Students will develop abilities to assess the impact of products and systems.
The Designed World
Standard 18: Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use transportation technologies.
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