Basic Components of an Escalator

Escalator is a brilliant creation that is used in almost all commercial establishments. Its machineries are so intricate that only professionals and well-trained people are capable of installing, repairing and maintaining it. Escalators may look so complex but once the whole mechanism is understood, repairing and maintaining it becomes easier. However, it takes a lot of time before the whole mechanism is fully understood. For the purpose of layman understanding, here are the basic components of an escalator.

Basically, escalators have 5 components. These are the landing platforms, handrail, tracks, truss and steps. Each component is important to keep the elevator function more efficiently.

Truss – The truss is the hollow metal component that connects the upped and the lower landing. It is mainly made up in two parts, and are connected together by a brace. The end-part of the truss is joined from top to bottom using a steel support. However, there are models that use concrete to support the truss. Truss supports the straight track parts so that it can securely join the upper and the lower sections.

Landing platforms – Landing platform contains two subcomponents: the escalator complates and the floor plate. The floor plate is the one where the passengers step on before riding the steps, either when they go up or down. The floor plate is attached to the combplate. The escalator combplates is responsible to join the floor and the escalator floor plate together in a smooth transition. This will prevent any accidents in riding or leaving the elevator. This part is called escalator combplates because it resembles the teeth of a comb.

Tracks – The tracks pulls the steps so that they continually move to a certain direction. The tracks are attached to the truss to fulfill this purpose. Basically, there are two tracks contained in an escalator. The first is the place on the front wheels while the other one is placed at the back. These are placed on the opposite sides of the escalator so that it forms a staircase when the steps come out of the combplate.  

Steps – The steps are the steel solid piece people ride on to go to another floor. In order to provide better safety features, yellow demarcation lines can be painted at the side. The steps are joined together by a sturdy escalator chain. This chain is responsible to keep a smooth ride. The front and back corners of the steps are connected to two wheels for it to go smoothly in one direction.

Handrail – The handrail is another safety feature of the escalator. It is covered with rubber so that people will not slip when they hang out to it. The handrail is pulled by a chain, just like the steps. These goes the same direction with the movement of the escalator. The handrail is designed to withstand the dangers of degradation and harsh weather changes.

 These are the basic components of an escalator. It is good to know these parts especially when you are deciding to install escalator to your commercial property.