2 replies to this topic

[trtam]

I was just wondering...

1) How do they open and close?

2) What kinds of ways do they do that?

This also includes funitels, chondolas (how does that one work if it's mixed?), and cabriolets...

This post has been edited by trtam: 08 May 2005 - 10:45 PM

[liftmech]

The most common door-opening method works like this: there is a lever attached to the hanger arm, and that lever is connected to a cable not unlike the one on your bicycle brakes. The other end of the cable is connected to a lever on the doors. When the cabin enters the terminal, a roller on the upper lever contacts a sloped rail which depresses it, and pulls on the cable to open the doors. When the cabin leaves the terminal, there is a rail which lifts the lever up and closes the doors. There are also doors which are opened by a roller arm on the bottom of the cabin; this runs in a track which is curved to move the lever side-to-side and thus open and close the doors. Finally, the original method was to have the operator manually shut and lock the doors as he loaded passengers.
On a chondola there is no difference in door operation. If the chairs have bubbles they are opened the same way; if they don't it's moot point.

[SkiBachelor]

Here is a picture of the device that closes a gondolas door. However, lifts that have bubbles have a different type of system than this since the bubble doesn't close automatically when someone loads onto the carrier, like it does if no one does.