Results of stress measurements on the guide rail supporting beams in a hoisting installation operated in the shaft Regis in relation to modelling data

Abstract

Presently the hoisting installation operated in the Wieliczka Salt Mine is mostly used for transporting  visitors to  the underground mine sections. It  comprises two elevators which are  able to effectively transport groups of up to  42 people during a single ride. Design objectives  developed prior to its mounting  at the shaft bottom and observations made by maintenance engineers clearly indicate that the  guiding system in the shaft is  very stiff and so deformations are in  fact negligible. The components of the guiding system which have the highest stiffness are  bunton beams, designed in accordance with pertinent regulations  having relevance to hoisting installations.

To verify the rationale of implementing the stiff steelwork frame, the digital model of the steelwork frame was created and numerical procedures were applied, taking into account the maximal design loads and operational loads. Numerical results were validated through measurements of real stress values at selected components of the guiding system  in the hoisting installation operated in the shaft “Regis’, under variable  operating conditions. The analysis of measurement data allows a preliminary evaluation of structural parameters of the car frame, highlighting the potential of reducing the mass of components selected  to be optimised.