NSK Bearings For the Fastest Highest Elevators

Traction motor bearings manufactured by NSK have been installed in the fastest elevators in the world, in the tallest building in the world: the Taipei 101 in Taiwan. The Taipei 101 building became the world's tallest (508 metres) by surpassing the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia; it is the first, and, currently, the only building in the world to break the half-kilometre mark in height. Because it breaks new ground in terms of elevation, the Taipei 101 requires an 800-ton tuned mass damper to stabilise it against high winds and earthquakes. This damper is an enormous ball of welded steel plates hanging inside the top of the building, and is visible from the restaurant and bar, which encircles the space around the ball. The elevators serving the 101 floors of the Taipei 101 building are the fastest in the world, rising at 1010 metres per minute (60.6 km/hour) and descending at 610 m/min (36.6 km/hour). These speeds are 34 percent faster than the previous world's fastest elevators in the Yokohama Landmark Tower (Japan), where the NSK bearings had already been applied successfully. Costing over 2 million US Dollars each, the elevators are designed to carry up to 24 people. They are double-decker units with emergency braking systems, and the world's first triple-stage anti-overshooting system. Key to the safe and reliable operation of these elevators is NSK's range of traction motor bearings, which are used on both the drive and brake sides of the elevator motors. Developed initially for use on high speed Bullet trains in Japan, these bearings are designed to function under severe operating conditions, including high radial loads, high impact loads and high speeds. This ability makes the bearings the ideal choice for the Taipei 101 elevators. NSK spherical roller bearings have been installed in the drive motors of these very fast lifts. These bearings have been equipped with the high performance and high reliability of a one-piece brass cage, in order to guarantee the best bearing performances, even under these critical operating conditions. As regards mechanical design, the latest advances in cage manufacturing technology are harnessed to provide roller element-guided cages. The mechanics of this design mean that superior lubrication is maintained in the sliding contact interfaces between the cage and rolling elements. This helps to prevent grease deterioration even when lubricating conditions are less than favourable. The steel currently used by NSK is vacuum degassed for high purity, in order to maximise the bearing fatigue life. In addition, the NSK spherical roller bearings feature special raceway surfaces, which minimise vibration and noise, ensuring high levels of comfort for the lift passengers and enabling the high rotational speeds necessary for high efficiency of the traction motor. The solution provided by NSK, a world wide leader in rolling bearings design and manufacturing, helps to achieve the Guinness World Record with super high speed, great capacity, low noise bearings with extended maintenance intervals.