Buffers - LSI & Oleo
Buffers - LSI & Oleo
I M PA C T
P R OTE CTI O N
Oleo is a leading expert in energy
absorption technology supplying
solutions to the elevator, industrial and
rail sectors.
C O NTE NTS
Introduction 2
Hydraulic operating principle 3
Elevator safety 4
Range overview 9
LSB 10 10
SEB Series 11
LB Series 12
LB High Speed Series 13
High Speed Lift Range 14
2
TECHNICAL
H Y D R A U L I C O P E R AT I N G P R I N C I P L E
GAS CHAMBER
PLUNGER
OIL RESERVOIR
PISTON
METERING TUBE
The illustration shows the robust construction of the pressure in the oil chamber to a level which optimizes the
Oleo elevator hydraulic buffer unit. On impact the closure force of the unit.
plunger is forced down around the gas rod and through
This very useful feature is accomplished by Oleo’s innovative
the metering tube displacing oil through holes, thereby
metering designs which progressively alter the flow area as
decelerating the impact mass. Following impact the gas
the unit closes. The actual metering designs are precisely
hydraulic buffer returns to its full height using a unique
calculated to provide the best possible protection.
method of moving the gas within the chamber.
The Oleo hydraulic unit therefore possesses the unique
The buffers performance on impact relies solely on oil
feature that its characteristics change according to
displacement, the gas spring serves only to re-extend
operational needs. The majority of the impact energy is
the plunger.
absorbed within the unit and the already low recoil force is
When the plunger is forced into the cylinder rapidly the damped by the reverse flow of oil, leaving very little energy
oil displaced by the plunger has to pass through the and recoil force to be returned to the impacting vehicle.
metering holes at very high velocity. This raises the
O L E O I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3
E L E VAT O R S A F E T Y
Elevator buffers are safety devices which are required to be mounted at the base of an elevator shaft. As with any safety
device, elevator buffers have to meet with a variety of specifications. One of the most important of these specifications is
the manner in which the buffers must bring an impacting elevator car to rest. There are different technical specifications for
elevator buffers in different regions worldwide however all employ the same basic performance criteria.
Since the very early days of elevators, a variety of safety systems have been employed to ensure that the elevator will not
free fall. The purpose of elevator buffers is to provide protection against the malfunction of an elevator control system
resulting in the elevator continuing to travel past the lowest stop to the base of the elevator shaft. The buffers are specified
in accordance with the operating velocity and mass of the elevator.
Although freefall is not a realistic event for an elevator, the specification and code requirements are based on the
assumption of freefall.
The requirement for elevator buffers fall into two categories depending on the type of buffer.
1. Energy accumulation buffers: These can take the form of simple mechanical springs or polymer buffers which store
the absorbed energy of the impact in the form of strain energy. In some accumulation buffers this stored energy can be
dissipated on the return movement of the buffer leading to two separate requirements:
a) Buffers with linear and non linear characteristics – these can be used if the elevator does not exceed 197 ft/min.
b) Buffers with buffered return movement – these can be used for elevators that do not exceed 315 ft/min.
2. Energy dissipation buffers: These are usually hydraulic buffers which dissipate the energy of the impact in the form of
heat during the travel of the buffer. This type of buffer can be used for all rated speeds, but must be used for speeds of
315ft/min or over.
(ii) Without exceeding a deceleration of 2.5g for a time period greater than 0.04 seconds.
In addition a further, but separate, requirement states that the buffer stroke must be at least as great as free fall distance
required to reach 115% of the rated elevator velocity. It is this requirement that dictates the stroke and consequently the
installation height of elevator buffers. Due to customer demands, most elevator buffers do not deviate far from the
minimum stroke requirement.
4
TECHNICAL
Oleo Buffer Type MIN Stroke Rated Buffer MAX Buffer Reduced Stroke
Speed Speed Elevator Speed
(115% of Rated before striking terminal
Elevator Speed) slowdown device
(ASME A17.1)
in ft/min ft/min ft/min
LSB 10 2.9 197 226 289
SEB 16 6.8 315 362 444
LB 16 8.0 315 362 482
SEB 18 8.6 354 407 500
LB18 9.8 354 407 533
SEB 20 11.0 400 460 565
LB 20 11.8 400 460 586
LB 23 15.2 453 521 665
SEB 25 17.1 500 575 706
LB 25 18.2 500 575 891
LB 32 27.5 620 713 1096
LB 35 34.7 701 806 1232
LB 40 44.9 799 919 1401
LB 50 68.5 1002 1152 1732
LB 55 83.0 1104 1270 1905
HSL 58 92.52 1152 1324 2011
LB 60 98.6 1199 1379 2077
LB 65 119.6 1299 1494 2287
HSL 72 141.73 1427 1641 2490
HSL 87 204.72 1713 1969 2994
HSL 101 275.59 1988 2286 3474
HSL 115 362.20 2274 2615 3982
O L E O I N T E R N AT I O N A L 5
E L E VAT O R S A F E T Y
The design engineer must consider the stroke requirements in the overall height of the buffer. If telescopic solutions are
not to be used then the overall height must be at least double the minimum stroke with a further height requirement to
restrict lateral movement when the buffer is fully extended.
Lateral movement should be restricted to +/- 0.2 in per ft of stroke from the center.
REDUCED STROKE
The calculation for reduced stroke is based on the stroke of the buffer and not the speed of the elevator. The reduced
stroke calculation differs in some countries but the basic rules are as follows:
Minimum strokes also apply under some code requirements including EN81.1. Under EN81.1 the minimum stroke should
be 16.5 in for 50% calculation and 21.25 in for the 33.3% calculation. This does not apply under all code requirements.
Using the reduced stroke calculation a buffer rated at 1002ft/min could be used on an installation of 1752 ft/min if used with
a terminal speed limiting device.
BUFFER PERFORMANCE
The minimum stroke for an elevator buffer is specified (within EN81.1 and ASME A17.1), as the necessary distance to bring
an impacting mass, travelling at 115% of the buffer's rated speed, to rest with a uniform deceleration of 1g. However, this is
only true if the buffer exerts a constant retardation force over its entire stroke.
A hydraulic buffer can be designed to closely match this idealized performance. This is achieved by precise control of
hydraulic oil flow across an orifice throughout the buffer stroke. However, this can only be achieved for one specific impact
mass. The same performance is not achievable for the range of elevator masses that are encountered in the real world
where the elevator car mass varies with passenger load.
In the elevator application, where there is a need to protect passenger safety, it is important to try to minimize the deceleration
experienced during stopping. This can be easily resolved when the elevator is fully loaded but at low loads the same
retardation force will slow the elevator more quickly and therefore initially result in higher deceleration for the passenger.
6
TECHNICAL
The graphs below compare test data from two hydraulic buffers that both meet the elevator code specification requirement
being used to stop an elevator car travelling at 591 ft/min. This shows the g force that will be experienced by passengers
travelling in fully and lightly loaded conditions.
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
Time in seconds
The performance of the Oleo and the alternative supplier’s elevator buffer is similar.
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5
Time in seconds
The performance of the Oleo buffer design shows its benefits with a much lower peak deceleration force of
2.6g in comparison to 10g for the alternative supplier’s elevator buffer.
In both load conditions both buffers keep the average deceleration below 1g and do not allow 2.5g for more than 40
milliseconds and therefore are both fully compliant with elevator code specification requirements.
The limiting of peak deceleration force is not required by any elevator code or industry specification. Alternative buffers
achieve the average 1g criterion by an initial period of high deceleration followed by extending the final stages as the elevator
is coming to rest. The other key elevator buffer specification requires that passengers do not experience more than 2.5g for
more than 40 milliseconds but within this period g forces are not limited. However, as illustrated above, in certain conditions
very high instantaneous g forces occur and this may cause passenger discomfort.
Oleo has an overall passenger safety aware approach and seeks to avoid the passenger discomfort that may arise from
instantaneous deceleration that may even exceed 10g in some circumstances. Many years of in-house testing and the
development of mathematical algorithms that accurately simulate the performance of hydraulic buffers enable Oleo
unsurpassed force control. The design philosophy is to minimize g force for all passenger load conditions the benefits are
highlighted in the test data shown above.
O L E O I N T E R N AT I O N A L 7
E L E VAT O R S A F E T Y
ELEVATOR SWITCHES
Oleo elevator buffers are designed to withstand many more maximum load impacts than elevators are likely to experience
in their service life. Despite this, elevator buffers remain an emergency only device. It is never a desirable outcome in the
real world to have to rely on buffers to bring your elevator to a stop – that said, it is absolutely essential that you can rely
on the buffers in the event that they are required.
It is for this reason that many elevator buffers are fitted with a switch. The switch is positioned to detect that the buffer is
fully extended and therefore ready for impact in the case of an emergency. If for any reason the switch does not detect full
buffer extension, the entire elevator system is shut down.
To comply with the requirements of EN81.1 the buffer must perform to the criteria detailed earlier. To establish this, the
buffers are subject to drop tests. This is where a mass is dropped in freefall. The drop tests must take place at a
temperature between 30 degrees F and 77 degrees F. Tests are conducted with masses at either extreme of the stated
mass range of the buffer. Subsequent to the maximum mass drop, the mass must remain on the buffer for a minimum of 5
minutes, after which the buffer must fully re-extend within a time period of 90 seconds. Measurements must be made of the
displacement, velocity and acceleration of the freefalling masses at a sample rate of at least 100Hz.
In order to eliminate erroneous noise and high frequency vibration from accelerometer traces, low pass filtering is usually
applied to a signal sampled at a higher than required sampling frequency.
8
R A N G E OV E RV I E W
Buffer Rated Max speed Stroke Impact mass Height Height Height to Weight Oil
unit speed (115%) (min) range (extended) (compressed) reservoir top no oil (dry) volume
ft/min ft/min in lbs in in in lbs gallons
min max Dim H (max) Dim C (min) Dim F (nom)
LSB 10 197 226 2.89 838 7165 8.8 5.7 4.0 7.9 0.1
SEB 16 315 362 6.81 992 10020 21.3 13.8 12.1 24.7 0.4
SEB 18 354 407 8.62 992 10020 25.3 15.9 14.3 28.2 0.5
SEB 20 400 460 10.98 992 10020 30.6 18.9 17.2 32.6 0.6
SEB 25 500 575 17.13 992 10020 44.4 26.5 24.8 44.1 0.9
LB 16 315 362 7.99 1102 18365 24.3 15.6 14.0 52.9 1.2
LB 18 354 407 9.80 1102 18365 28.5 17.9 16.3 58.3 1.5
LB 20 400 460 11.81 1102 18365 33.0 20.5 18.9 63.6 1.8
LB 23 453 521 15.24 1102 18365 40.9 24.9 23.3 75.4 2.2
LB 25 500 575 18.19 1102 18365 47.7 28.8 27.1 85.1 2.6
LB 32 620 713 27.52 1543 18365 67.2 38.9 37.3 121.7 5.3
LB 35 701 806 34.69 2205 18365 83.0 47.6 45.9 146.5 6.5
LB 40 799 919 44.92 2205 18365 106.0 60.4 58.7 180.4 8.3
LB 50 1002 1152 68.50 3307 16535 166.0 96.0 92.2 459.4 7.3
LB 55 1104 1270 83.03 2756 16535 198.4 113.9 110.1 533.1 8.8
LB 60 1199 1379 98.58 3307 22046 243.3 141.6 136.0 1058.7 19.3
LB 65 1299 1494 119.65 4409 22046 290.3 170.1 160.5 1691.4 30.9
HSL 58 1152 1324 92.52 8818 22046 192.5 100.0 – 1763.7 25.9
HSL 72 1427 1641 141.73 8818 22046 287.0 145.3 – 2425.1 38.0
HSL 87 1713 1969 204.72 8818 22046 405.1 204.3 – 3527.4 54.7
HSL 101 1988 2286 275.59 11023 17637 494.8 165.1 – 6613.9 72.6
HSL 115 2274 2615 362.20 12125 17637 586.6 225.1 – 7709.6 129.4
O L E O I N T E R N AT I O N A L 9
L S B 10
The LSB 10 is a self contained, maintenance free* unit designed for low and medium speed applications. The LSB 10 is
designed to be low cost while maintaining Oleo's recognized performance standards.
Oleo’s LSB buffer weighs approx half of a conventional buffer and has a small space envelope, this means that shipping costs
are significantly reduced. In addition there is the option to supply the buffers oil filled rather than with a separate container
of oil saving valuable time during elevator installation and reducing the risk of errors and spillage.
The LSB 10 is designed and built according to strict engineering standards and is universally approved and globally certified.
* other than statutory inspections.
Ø14mm
Ø0.55in
85mm 120mm
3.35 in 4.72 in
95mm
Model LSB 10 3.74 in
Ø108mm
Ø4.25in
Rated speed ft/min 197
Ø24.4mm
Maximum ft/min 226 Ø0.96in
speed (115%) 74mm
2.91in
Stroke ‘S’ (min.) in 2.89
Impact lbs 838-7165 S
mass range
Height ‘H’ max. in
8.8
(extended)**
Height ‘C’ min. in H
5.7
(compressed)**
Height ‘F’ to C
in 4.0
reservoir top F
In the event that the LSB elevator buffers are delivered without oil the buffers need to be filled with oil as per the installation instructions.
The oil used must conform to the specification on the buffer data plate – ISOVG68 – SG.88/.90 at -18°F – hydraulic.
Pour point 60°F or lower. Viscosity index 75 or higher.
** The max and min figures provided take account of the extremes of the tolerance to provide absolute maximum and absolute minimum dimensions.
For more details please request detailed installation drawings.
10
SEB SERIES
in m
5. 1 m
x 15
94
in x
94 m
5. 1 m
15
STANDARD BUFFER The SEB buffer range has been available for
over twenty years with thousands successfully
installed around the world.
10 4.0
3m 6i
The SEB gas hydraulic buffer series provides a
m nx
x 4.0
S
10 6
3 m in
premium robust solution for medium speed
m
Ø17mm
Ø0.67in applications.
A self contained, maintenance free* unit
designed to weigh approximately half of a
H
conventional buffer and have a small space
envelope. This means that shipping costs are
significantly reduced and allows for quick and
C easy installation.
F
9. 0 m in
84 m
3
reservoir top
20 7 . 8 7
0 m in
m
4 x Ø22 mm
Weight 4 x Ø0.86in
lbs 24.7 28.2 32.6 44.1
no oil (dry)
Oil volume gallons 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.9
Reduced stroke: Rated speed with terminal speed limiting device,
based on EN81.1 rule 10.4.3.2 and ASME A17.1 rule 2.22.4.1.2
Reduced stroke ft/min 444 500 564 706
ASME A17.1
Reduced stroke n/a n/a n/a 706 12mm
EN81.1 ft.min 0.47in
SEB elevator buffers are delivered without oil. Buffers need to be filled with oil as per the
installation instructions.
The oil used must conform to the specification on the buffer data plate – ISOVG68 –
SG.88/.90 at -18°F – hydraulic.
Pour point 60°F or lower. Viscosity index 75 or higher.
** The max and min figures provided take account of the extremes of the tolerance to
provide absolute maximum and absolute minimum dimensions. For more details please
request detailed installation drawings.
O L E O I N T E R N AT I O N A L 11
LB SERIES
Oleo has been offering the LB series for over thirty years. The Oleo LB gas hydraulic buffer series is globally recognized for
its excellent performance and reliability. It is a self contained, maintenance free* unit designed for heavy and high speed
installations offering our largest mass range.
Given the large mass range and rated speed of the LB series, this buffer can be found in a number of different installations
including, low, medium and high rise buildings, vehicle and service elevators.
The LB series is designed and built according to strict engineering standards and is universally approved and globally certified.
* other than statutory inspections.
H
300mm
11.81in
Ø22mm 250mm
Ø0.87 in 9.84in
C
F Ø180 mm
Ø7.09 in
180 mm
7.09in
200mm 152 mm
7.87in 5.98 in
12mm
0.47in
Model LB 16 LB 18 LB 20 LB 23 LB 25 LB 32 LB 35 LB 40
Rated speed ft/min 315 354 400 453 500 620 701 799
Maximum ft/min 362 407 460 521 575 713 806 919
speed (115%)
Stroke ‘S’ (min.) in 7.99 9.80 11.81 15.24 18.19 27.52 34.69 44.92
Impact lbs 1102-18365 1102-18365 1102-18365 1102-18365 1102-18365 1543-18365 2205-18365 2205-18365
mass range
Height ‘H’ max. in
(extended)** 24.3 28.5 33.0 40.9 47.7 67.2 83.0 106.0
Height ‘C’ min. in
15.6 17.9 20.5 24.9 28.8 38.9 47.6 60.4
(compressed)**
Height ‘F’ to in 14.0 16.3 18.9 23.3 27.1 37.3 45.9 58.7
reservoir top
Weight lbs 52.9 58.3 63.6 75.4 85.1 121.7 146.5 180.4
no oil (dry)
Oil volume gallons 1.2 1.5 1.8 2.2 2.6 5.3 6.5 8.3
Reduced stroke: Rated speed with terminal speed limiting device, based on EN81.1 rule 10.4.3.2 and ASME A17.1 rule 2.22.4.1.2
Reduced stroke ft/min 482 533 586 665 891 1096 1232 1401
ASME A17.1
Reduced stroke n/a n/a n/a n/a 728 1096 1232 1401
EN81.1 ft.min
LB elevator buffers are delivered without oil. Buffers need to be filled with oil as per the installation instructions.
The oil used must conform to the specification on the buffer data plate – ISOVG68 – SG.88/.90 at -18°F – hydraulic.
Pour point 60°F or lower. Viscosity index 75 or higher.
** The max and min figures provided take account of the extremes of the tolerance to provide absolute maximum and absolute minimum dimensions.
For more details please request detailed installation drawings.
12
LB HIGH SPEED SERIES
The Oleo LB 50-65 gas hydraulic buffer range is designed
LB50, 55, 60
250mm square specifically for high speed elevator applications typically seen in
9.84in square
LB65 high rise buildings where speeds over 984 ft/min are achieved. If
300mm square
11.81in square
approved terminal speed limiting devices are employed by
applying the reduced stroke calculation the LB 50-65 can deal
S LB50, 55, 60
Ø22mm
with speeds up to 2287 ft/min.
Ø0.87 in
LB65
Ø26mm
The Oleo principle of designing self contained, maintenance
Ø1.02 in LB50, 55, 60
200 mm square free* buffer units is applied to the LB50-65 series of buffers and
7.87 in square
LB65 offers an easy installation process, this makes Oleo buffers the
250 mm square
9.84 in square
best solution for the life of the installation.
F
The LB series is designed and built according to strict
LB50, 55 engineering standards and is universally approved and globally
263 mm
H 10.35in
certified.
LB60
388.25 mm x 251mm
15.29in x 9.88in
LB65
* other than statutory inspections.
556mm x 306mm
21.89in x 12.05in
LB50, 55
Ø168mm C
Ø6.61 in
LB60
Ø219mm
Ø8.62 in
LB65
Ø254mm
Ø10.00in
25mm
0.98in
Model LB 50 LB 55 LB 60 LB 65
Rated speed ft/min 1002 1104 1199 1299
Maximum ft/min 1152 1270 1379 1494
speed (115%)
Stroke ‘S’ (min.) in 68.50 83.03 98.58 119.65
Impact lbs 3307-16535 2756-16535 3307-22046 4409-22046
mass range
Height ‘H’ max. in
(extended)** 166.0 198.4 243.3 290.3
Height ‘C’ min. in
96.0 113.9 141.6 170.1
(compressed)**
Height ‘F’ to in 92.2 110.1 136.0 160.5
reservoir top
Weight lbs 459.4 533.1 1058.7 1691.4
no oil (dry)
Oil volume gallons 7.3 8.8 19.3 30.9
Reduced stroke: Rated speed with terminal speed limiting device,
based on EN81.1 rule 10.4.3.2 and ASME A17.1 rule 2.22.4.1.2
Reduced stroke ft/min 1732 1905 2076 2287
ASME A17.1
Reduced stroke 1732 1905 2076 2287
EN81.1 ft.min
LB elevator buffers are delivered without oil. Buffers need to be filled with oil as per the installation instructions.
The oil used must conform to the specification on the buffer data plate – ISOVG68 – SG.88/.90 at -18°F – hydraulic.
Pour point 60°F or lower. Viscosity index 75 or higher.
** The max and min figures provided take account of the extremes of the tolerance to provide absolute maximum and absolute minimum dimensions.
For more details please request detailed installation drawings.
O L E O I N T E R N AT I O N A L 13
HIGH SPEED LIFT RANGE
The new Oleo HSL telescopic gas hydraulic buffer range is
designed specifically for high speed elevator applications
typically seen in high rise buildings where speeds over
948 ft/min are achieved. If approved terminal speed limiting
devices are employed by applying the reduced stroke calculation
the HSL115 can deal with speeds up to 3982 ft/min.
The HSL Series offers considerably more installation
possibilities than conventional single stage buffers due to
telescopic technology. This allows for lower compressed unit
heights and smaller buffer envelopes at higher elevator speeds.
The Oleo principle of designing self contained, maintenance free*
buffer units is applied to the HSL series of buffers and offers an
easy installation process, this makes Oleo buffers the best Ø102
Ø210
Ø110
570
570
H
Ø350
410
Ø275
500
350
Ø196
500
1350
Ø559
Ø300
HSL elevator buffers are delivered without oil. Buffers need to be filled with oil as per the installation instructions.
The oil used must conform to the specification on the buffer data plate – ISOVG68 – SG.88/.90 at -18°F – hydraulic.
Pour point 60°F or lower. Viscosity index 75 or higher.
** The max and min figures provided take account of the extremes of the tolerance to provide absolute maximum and absolute
minimum dimensions. For more details please request detailed installation drawings.
O L E O I N T E R N AT I O N A L 15
W E P R OV I D E S O LUTI O N S
N OT J U ST P R O D U CTS
OLEO International is a division of T A Savery and Co Limited, whose ultimate parent is Brigam Limited
T A Savery and Co Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number
00272170 and whose registered office is at Grovelands, Longford Road, Exhall, Coventry, CV7 9NE, UK