Pictured: International lift professionals, postgraduate
students, MSc/PhD graduates, and staff at The University of
Northampton's School of Science and Technology
Over 50 international experts from the field of vertical
transportation gathered at The University of Northampton's Avenue
Campus on Thursday 29 September for a Symposium on Lift and
Escalator Technologies.
The event was an opportunity for international lift
professionals, postgraduate students and MSc/PhD graduates to
present papers on their research projects and share knowledge
within this £ multi-billion sector.
The Lift Engineering programme offered at The University of
Northampton includes postgraduate courses at MSc, MPhil and PhD
levels. Teaching and research studies the advanced principles and
philosophy underlying lift and escalator technologies for students
employed in lift making and allied industries.
The Symposium, organised jointly by the Lift Engineering section
of the University's School of Science and Technology, and the
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) Lift
Group, featured lectures and presentations on topics such as lift
safety, lift vibration and the application of the Monte Carlo
method to lift traffic analysis.
Invited speakers included Dr Lufti Al-Sharif from Al-Sharif VTC
Ltd, Phil Andrew formerly from Express Lift Company Ltd, Dr Gina
Barney from Gina Barney Associates, Adam Scott from Grontmij and
Rory Smith from ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corporation.
The CIBSE Lifts Group awarded a £500 prize for the best
student presentation. This was awarded to Peter Feldhusen, who
spoke about the dependencies between a novel belt-type suspension
and transmission system and the lift system and its components.
Elevator World, the leading international trade magazine, funded
two copies of Systems Engineering of Elevators, a new book covering
the main aspects of lift engineering, as additional prizes.
Professor Stefan Kaczmarczyk, Chair of the Postgraduate Field of
Lift Engineering ,Department of Engineering, School of Science and
Technology, The University of Northampton, commented:
"Lifts and escalators are inseparable parts of office and
residential buildings. They are used every day and are an absolute
necessity for aged and disabled persons. However, as far as the
mechanical and electrical principles of operation are concerned,
people often don't think about the mechanics of how they work, the
complexities and research that go into their design and
installation. Safety and reliability are key issues.
"The technical papers presented at this symposium reflect the
latest trends and developments in these areas and gave the
delegates an opportunity to discuss the current state of research
and professional practice in the field of vertical
transportation."
Dr Richard Peters of The CIBSE Lifts Group and Managing Director
of Peters Research Ltd commented:
"The CIBSE Lifts Group are keen to support the Lift Engineering
section of Northampton University. Part of that support is to help
enable an accessible, peer reviewed event for the students and
industry professionals to present their work. Hence this week's
joint Symposium in Northampton, which we expect will now become an
annual event."
The Symposium was held as part of the 2011/12 Inaugural Lift
Engineering School at The University of Northampton. The event was
supported by the Lift and Escalator Industry Association and the
Institution of Engineering and Technology.