Thread: HELLEVATOR needs lifting?!?!

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Hiya!

I recently began to build a Hellevator prop. It's a elevator guest enter, then continues to simulate falling.

I am using a 'Scissor table' frame to support the guests and elevator. Here is my progress so far. I am making it out of wood first to get an idea or size. If it is not strong enough I will start again with steel.



http://s1202.photobucket.com/albums/...hellevator.jpg

I need a way to lift this thing, and I think pneumatics if my best bet. However, I am completely new to pneumatics and have a low budget. It seems I need a strong cylinder to lift this. I’m looking for around 3-4 people to be in the lift at once.

I have explored the area of airbags, air springs, car jacks ect. However, I'm keen to look into cylinders.

If anyone could help me with were to begin, what cylinders, air tank ect Any info or opinions would be useful! I also need a way to automate the cylinder, but I will come to that later!

Thanks, Ben.

You might need Hydraulics for that rig man. 3-4 people, depending on their size prob weigh around 500lbs, not sure if there is a pneumatic cylinder (that's not industrial sized) can lift that much weight. I imagine you would need a pretty powerful air compressor for that much weight too.

Also, many people are going to give you a heads up about safety. Remember, if you let people on your "ride" and they get hurt, you could be held liable for these injuries.

Airbags might work for this though as they can usually lift quite a bit of weight, but you might need bags designed for vehicle suspension. Could end up being kind of pricy when your done too

hydraulics is the way too go cylinders will not work well unless you put a good 15 cylinders in there. think of the same method a cable repair truck is made where they lift the hyralic cart in teh hair to repait telephone lines. cylinders are used for much lighter opbjects it would take an enormous amount of pressure and every cylinder has max psi maybe about 250 and t would take much more then that. this will be an expensive project no matter what. i mean your making an elevator.

MsMeeple did a hellevator last year. Here's the thread:
HELLevator progress

Maybe that can help some.

Your could do this with 4 air bags on the corners. They lift a considerable amount of weight. One air bag can lift 2300lb at 100PSI.

For safty reasons you would have to put 4 on each corner.

It is really difficult to do this at a cheap price. Even you you try cylinders you would need at least 4 with a really large bore(2 inch or more). You can get away with a low stroke though(2-4 inches would be ideal. I would use a compact style cylinder because you will have more mounting area

Here is an airbag video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAE2X...embedded#at=20

We made an elevator years ago and went the cheap route (though not the easiest for the poor sucker who had to make it move). We used a floor jack to raise and lower it a little. Whether this would work for you really depends on how many people you expect to run through it during the night and how many people you can get to run the jack.

They do make pneumatic floor jacks as well, but like I said we went cheap.

Elevators are a tricky. I have worked for an elevator company for the last 15 years. A lot of people can’t believe how much goes into one. They also under estimate how unsafe they can be. Please be very careful!!! When dealing the weight of 3 of more people the forces can be deadly.

If you must make your elevator work, I suggest using counter weights in each corner. Set up a pulleys with 75-100 lb or so just as dead weight, then use your pneumatics to lift the load. If you are only traveling in the down direction then let gravity do the work.

Is your Hellevator going to simulate falling to a different "floor level" or is it just simulate falling and then guests step out only to find they haven't moved at all? Just wondering. Sounds interesting!

If the Hellevator is to mimic a freefall, then shaking is probably more in line with what you would need. Or at least that's what I think when I envision a falling elevator. But I can see how a pneumatic drop, right at the end would add to the effect!

For a less technical, and safer version that's just as effective...maybe you can build some kind of shaking platform that shakes the elevator faster and faster as it mimics its freefall decent. For added effect a high powered fan could be simultaniously triggered to blow air faster and faster upwards thru the elevator "floor"

Lastly, if you want your guests to exit to a different "floor level", The entire platform can be made to slowly spin 180 degrees facing a new room, that was orginally obstucted from view behind the "hellevator".

Just an idea.

Oh, and congrats on your first post!

Here is an idea I think you could use. You could probably use 2 cylinders mounted like this one is . It would certianly need to be made of steel. They also have the air cylinders you would need .
I don't think it would be too hard to do, but I would be concerned about the structure being safe and remain level.

Here is an idea on changing the scene going in and out of the elevator. (see attached)
This way you can keep your guess right where they are and they think they moved floors.