ISO/TR 25741:2008

TECHNICAL ISO/TR
REPORT 25741
First edition
2008-03-15
Lifts and escalators subject to seismic
conditions — Compilation report
Ascenseurs et escaliers mécaniques soumis aux conditions
sismiques — Rapport de compilation

Reference number
©
ISO 2008
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.

©  ISO 2008
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail copyright@iso.org
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword. iv
0 Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 United States . 1
[1]
2.1 ASME A17.1-2004 . 1
2.2 Seismic safety for buildings . 3
2.3 The seismic maps. 3
2.4 NEHRP and FEMA seismic criteria applicable to new buildings . 4
2.5 NEHRP and FEMA seismic criteria applicable to existing buildings . 4
2.6 Civil engineering design criteria . 4
2.7 Reference publications . 5
2.8 Procurement information. 5
3 Japan. 6
[7]
3.1 Guide for Earthquake Resistant Design & Construction of Vertical Transportation . 6
[8]
3.2 Anti-earthquake design and construction in Japan . 7
3.3 Reference publications . 8
3.4 Procurement information. 8
4 New Zealand . 8
[9]
4.1 New Zealand Standard NZS 4332 . 8
4.2 Reference publications . 9
4.3 Procurement information. 9
5 Major earthquakes of the world. 10
Annex A (normative) Guide for Earthquake Resistant Design & Construction of Vertical
Transportation (1998 Edition) Japan Elevator Association [JEA Guide]. 11
Annex B (informative) Anti-earthquake design and construction in Japan (Japan Elevator
Association) . 26
[9]
Annex C (normative) NZS 4332 : passenger and goods lifts . 33
Annex D (normative) Seismic zones . 43
Bibliography . 44

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
In exceptional circumstances, when a technical committee has collected data of a different kind from that
which is normally published as an International Standard (“state of the art”, for example), it may decide by a
simple majority vote of its participating members to publish a Technical Report. A Technical Report is entirely
informative in nature and does not have to be reviewed until the data it provides are considered to be no
longer valid or useful.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/TR 25741 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 178, Lifts, escalators and moving walks.
iv © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

0 Introduction
0.1 When an earthquake occurs, it releases energy in the form of waves that radiate from the earthquake
source in all directions. The different types of energy waves shake the ground in different ways and travel
through the earth at different velocities. The fastest wave, and therefore, the first to arrive at a given location,
is called the P wave. The P wave, or compressional wave, alternately compresses and expands material in
the direction in which it is travelling. The S wave is slower than the P wave and arrives next, shaking the
ground up and down and back and forth perpendicular to the direction in which it is travelling. Surface waves
[16]
follow the P and S waves. Source: NEIC .
0.2 Earthquake magnitudes are measured on different scales, namely, Richter and Modified Mercalli
Intensity. The Richter Scale is considered more accurate. Approximate values are summarised in Table 1.
[17] [14]
Sources: California Institute of Technology and Wiegel .
Table 1 — The Richter Scale
Richter Mercalli Acceleration Approximate Effect
magnitude intensity radius of
perceptibility
8,5 XII > 1,0g — Total damage
8 XI 0,8g 580 km General damage
0,5g
7 IX to X 385 km Considerable damage
Frightening; some broken chimneys; damage to weak
6 VII to VIII 0,15g 210 km
buildings
0,05g
5 VI to VII 145 km Felt by all; some fallen plaster; chimney damage
4 V 0,01g 130 km Felt by most; some broken windows; cracked plaster
3 III — 15 km Quite noticeable indoors
2 I to II — 0 km Barely felt
0.3 The magnitude of an earthquake is determined from the logarithm of the amplitude of waves recorded
by seismographs. An increase of one magnitude unit on the Richter Scale corresponds to a ten times greater
ground motion. An increase of two magnitude units corresponds to a 100 times greater ground motion, and so
on, in a logarithmic series.
0.4 The strongest earthquakes, measured on the Richter Scale, over the last century include those shown
in the worldwide map in Clause 5 and in Table 2 below.
Table 2 — The strongest earthquakes
Location Year Magnitude
Chile 1960 9,5
Alaska 1964 9,2
Russia 1952 9,0
Banda Aceh, Indonesia 2004 9,0
Alaska 1957 8,8
Kuril Islands 1958 8,7
Alaska 1965 8,7
India 1950 8,6
Chile 1922 8,5
Indonesia 1938 8,5
Great Kanto, Japan 1923 8,3
Gujrat, India 2001 8,1
Mexico 1985 8,0
Southern Peru 2001 7,9
San Francisco, CA, USA 1906 7,8
Bolivia 1994 7,7
El Salvador 2001 7,7
Taiwan 1999 7,6
Tangshan, China 1976 7,5
Sakhalin 1995 7,5
Taiwan 1935 7,4
Izmit, Turkey 1999 7,4
Southern Italy 1980 7,2
Fukui, Japan 1948 7,2
Miyagi, Japan 2005 7,2
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
vi © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

0.5 Seismic-induced ground motions can have an adverse effect on the operational and physical integrity of
building supports and vertical transportation equipment. Experience in the U.S. from the San Fernando,
California, earthquake on February 9, 1971 with a magnitude of 6,6 on the Richter Scale resulted in significant
damage to buildings and vertical transportation systems. The most notable damage included the following,
shown in Table 3.
Table 3 — Damage to vertical transportations systems
Quantity
Description
(Number of lifts)
Counterweights out of guide rails 674
Counterweights out of guide rails; damaged cars 109
Cars damaged 102
Rope systems damaged 100
Motor generators (moved; some damaged armatures) 174
Counterweight guide rail brackets broken/damaged 174
Roller guide shoes (broken or loose) 286

[13]
Source: Elevator World’s Annual Study .
0.6 In response to earthquake experience on different continents, some codes and standards organizations
have included a level of seismic protection in their national standards. ISO/TC 178 recognised that it would be
beneficial to promote worldwide guidance in order to ensure the safety of people, as well as equipment, taking
seismic forces into consideration for design and construction. The experiences of those national codes and
standards organizations that have already adopted seismic protection requirements would benefit the rest of
the worldwide elevator community through the compilation of such design safeguards.
0.7 The scope of this effort is the compilation of special specifications for lifts and escalators situated in
areas subject to seismic conditions in order to ensure safe operation of the vertical transportation equipment
within commonly occurring, i.e. non-catastrophic, ground motion excitation.
0.8 ISO/TC 178 took a Resolution on May 15, 1998, as follows:
“Resolution 156 — Study Group for Lifts and Escalators Working Under Seismic Conditions. On a
proposal by WG 6, ISO/TC 178 agreed to create a study group under the leadership of Mr. Gibson
(USA) to establish the essential safety requirements and dimensional considerations for lifts and
escalators working under seismic conditions. This is to be confirmed by an inquiry among ISO/TC 178
members.”
0.9 A new work item proposal covering the preparation of a Compilation Report was issued in document
No. ISO/TC 178 N319 on August 27, 1999. The results of the voting on this Item showed that 17 P-members
supported the programme of work. These members included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France,
Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, United Kingdom and USA. The following P-members agreed to participate in the development of
the work: Australia, Austria, Canada, Italy, Spain and USA.
0.10 ISO/TC 178 took a Resolution on March 25, 2004, as follows:
“Resolution 231/2004. ISO/TC 178 agreed WG 6 to submit a draft Technical Report (compilation of
existing documents) by October 2004.”
0.11 ISO/TC 178 has included a global essential safety requirement (GESR) in ISO/TS 22559-1 as follows:
“6.1.12 Effects of earthquake. In areas subject to earthquakes, means shall be provided to minimize the
risk to users, when inside the LCU, and authorized persons, of the foreseeable effects of earthquakes
on the lift equipment.”
NOTE 1 The effects on the safety of users and authorized persons need to be considered at all stages: during the
earthquake (as much as possible), during rescue from a stalled LCU, and when the lift is returned to normal operation.
This assumes that there is no major building failure.
NOTE 2 LCU refers to load-carrying unit (lift car).
0.12 This Compilation Report has been prepared to document current seismic design rules/specifications
...