Numerical Simulation of Unsteady Turbulent Flow Induced by Two-Dimensional Elevator Car and Counter Weight System

A two-dimensional model of unsteady turbulent flow induced by high-speed elevator system was established in the present study. The research was focused on the instantaneous variation of the aerodynamic force on the car structure during traversing motion of the counter weight in the hoistway. A dynamic meshing method was employed to treat the multi-body motion system to avoid poor distortion of meshes. A comprehensive understanding of this significant aspect was obtained by varying the horizontal gap (δ=0.1m, 0.2m, and 0.3m) between the elevator car and the counter weight, and the moving speed (U0 = 2m/s, 6m/s, and 10m/s) of the elevator system. A pulsed intensification of the aerodynamic force on the elevator car and subsequent appearance of large valley with negative aerodynamic force were clearly observed in the numerical results. In parameters studied (δ=0.1m, U0 = 2m/s, 6m/s, 10m/s), the peaked horizontal and vertical forces are respectively 7-11 and 4.3-5.65 times of that when the counter weight is far from the car. These results demonstrated the prominent influence of the traversing counter weight on aerodynamic force on the elevator car, which is of great significance to designers of high-speed elevator system.