London:
In a "revolutionary" innovation, engineers have developed a super-strong carbon fibre rope that promises to more than double the height of the world's tallest skyscrapers by allowing a travel height of one kilometre in elevators.
The UltraRope developed by a Finland-based company eliminates the disadvantages of conventional steel rope and opens up a world of possibilities in high-rise building design, the manufacturers claim.
Comprised of a carbon fibre core and a unique high-friction coating, the UltraRope is extremely light, meaning elevator energy consumption in high-rise buildings can be cut significantly.
The drop in rope weight means a dramatic reduction in elevator moving masses - the weight of everything that moves when an elevator travels up or down, including the hoisting ropes, compensating ropes, counterweight, elevator car, and passenger load, KONE Corporation said on its website.
Due to the significant impact of ropes on the overall weight of elevator, the benefits of the rope increase exponentially as travel distance grows. KONE UltraRope is extremely strong and highly resistant to wear and abrasion.
Elevator downtime caused by building sway is also reduced as carbon fibre resonates at a completely different frequency to steel and most other building materials.
KONE UltraRope has an exceptionally long lifetime - at least twice of the conventional steel rope and no lubrication is required in maintaining it, enabling further cuts in environmental impact.
Manufacturers said all of this adds up to unprecedented eco-efficiency, durability and reliability in future high-rise elevator travel.
"We are proud to introduce this innovation that we are certain will revolutionise the elevator industry for the tallest segment of buildings across the globe," said KONE President and CEO Matti Alahuhta.
"This is finally a breakthrough on one of the 'holy grail' limiting factors of tall buildings - that is, the height to which a single elevator could operate before the weight of the steel rope becomes unsupportable over that height (approximately 500 meters). So it is not an exaggeration to say that this is revolutionary," Antony Wood, Architect and Executive Director, Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).