THE ELEVATOR BY: ROBERT RICHARDS 8/14/14 PERIOD 2

THE START OF ELEVATORS When the first elevator was created nobody knows but the first documented case of an elevator being built was in 336 B.C. by Greek mathematician, physicist, and inventor Archimedes. The elevators first purpose was to move heavy objects up and down to different areas by tying a rope that was connected to a pulley system around the object and lifting or lowering the object using manpower and was called a hoist.

DISCIPLINES OF ENGINEERING USED The disciplines of engineering used most importantly in the development of this product were mechanical, electrical and Automotive. The mechanical has been used through the whole way using things like pulleys and ropes. Electrical came much later to help turn the pulleys to lift the elevator. Finally Automotive has been around the whole time too as it is a form of transportation through buildings.

TIMELINE This was the first kind of elevator it was a simple rope and pulley system that you tied the rope to the object being lifted and someone would lift it using manpower. This was the second stage of the elevator It still uses the rope and pulley but a wood platform was added so that people and animals could be transported on them too. This was the next stage to elevator innovation where it became a small box with a rope that you pulled to lift the elevator to your floor and could hold more people This is the modern day elevator It can vary in size, shape and design now and is much safer than any of the older designs and is completely mechanically and electrically powered. This was the next innovation to elevators the were made larger again and were completely machine operated by a mechanical pulley system.

INNOVATIONS One of the first major innovations the elevator encountered that can be confirmed is when It was given a platform so passengers could use them. When this happened it became a lift and it was made for king Louie in France. Then It was enlarged and turned into a metal box that you pulled a rope fro the inside to move it. Then it was upgraded so that the pulley system was completely mechanical so we didn’t have to use manpower anymore but with this came a lot of breaks meaning the elevator falling. This was fixed by Elisha graves Otis when she made a safety brake for elevators that activated if the rope broke and frost and Stutt made a counterbalance so that it would be balanced and it would be harder for the rope to break.

GLOBAL IMPACT Because of how far elevators have come we were able to make taller buildings like skyscrapers and it will be essential when building the area in the sky china or japan is building and it made it so that the prices of top floors skyrocketed and it made it so that luggage was easier to move it Has had a big impact on the world around us I have barely seen a building these days without an elevator.

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