The Earthquake Lift Symposium organized by Decosan, a manufacturing company in Diyarbakır, was held November 1-2, 2024.
Earthquakes, a reality in our country, have been a bitter experience for centuries in these lands. Most recently, we lost more than 50,000 lives in the February 6 earthquake last year. Since the location and time of earthquakes are not known, it is always a possible risk to be caught in our daily lives. There is no information or statistics on how many people were stuck in lifts during the February 6 earthquakes. However, after an earthquake, a helping hand reaches too late to those stuck in the lifts when all emergency and disaster organizations are insufficient.
Some academic studies conducted by various non-governmental organizations and Prof. Dr. Erdem İmrak from Istanbul Technical University after the earthquake reveal the damage that often occurs in lifts during earthquakes. The most common damage is caused by counterweights coming loose or off the guide rail. In addition to the counterweight, damage such as ropes and cables getting caught in moving parts are also among the most common damages. The agenda of the Izmir Lift Symposium, which was held last month and is covered in detail in this issue, was “Earthquake and Lift.” Serdar Tavaslıoğlu, who made a presentation titled “A Calculation Proposal for the Lift Car and Counterweight, Safety Gear Work and Sling Structure in the Case of Seismic Movement” at the symposium, also made an educational presentation at the seminar organized by Decosan on November 1, 2024, at the Diyarbakır KOSGEB Congress Hall. There was intense interest in the event, which was attended by non-governmental organizations, public institutions, and several assembly and maintenance companies from surrounding provinces.
Decosan Board Chairman Abdurrahim Acıbuca was the first to speak at the seminar, and after making a welcome speech to attendees, he gave the floor to the other guests. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkey Elevator Industrialists Federation Cem Bozdağ, the Chairman of the Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce Mehmet Kaya, and the General Manager of Diyarbakır Provincial Industry Dr. İsmail Musab Gülaçar took the floor, respectively.
After the opening speeches, AFAD Education Specialist Harun Kor gave a short presentation about the first things to do in case of an earthquake.
Earthquake Lifts
Before starting his presentation, Serdar Tavaslıoğlu, who has made several studies on Earthquake Lifts, explained the damage that generally occurs in lifts during an earthquake using examples and then moved on to the training phase of the seminar.
He stated that additional precautions to be taken differ according to the seismic zone category of the lift and that the design acceleration should be calculated according to the region where the building is located and its construction features. He explained that lifts are divided into four categories according to design acceleration value and the precautions to be taken based on these categories using sample pictures.
Categories According to EN 81-77
| Design Acceleration (ad) (m/s2) | Seismic Lift Category | Description |
| ad ≤ 1 | 0 | TS EN 81-20 and TS EN 81-50 standards are sufficient. No further measures are required. |
| 1<ad ≤ 2,5 | 1 | Corrective action required at a low level. |
| 2,5<ad≤ 4 | 2 | Corrective action required at a moderate level. |
| ad > 4 | 3 | Corrective action required at a significant level. |
In his presentation, Tavaslıoğlu stated that the damage rate of machine-room-less (MRL) lifts is higher than lifts with machine rooms during an earthquake, and that MRL lifts should be avoided in earthquake zones unless necessary.
Tavaslıoğlu ended his presentation after talking about the design acceleration calculations and invited everyone to Decosan Asansör’s factory to show practices as examples.
Factory Visit
Gathering at the Decosan factory during a beautiful Diyarbakır sunset, guests had the opportunity to examine the earthquake lift developed by Serdar Tavaslıoğlu and Decosan. Following the lift examination, guests toured the factory and met at the dinner table where delicious Diyarbakır cuisine was served.
The Second Day: Diyarbakır Tour
Everyone was eagerly waiting for the city tour of Diyarbakır, where guests would get the chance to visit the ancient city. The second day commenced with guests getting on a bus that was waiting for us in front of our hotel, and we started off on our tour in beautiful, sunny weather, with the first stop being Diyarbakır Museum. After looking at the Hevsel Gardens, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, from the Diyarbakır Castle over the city walls where the museum is also located, the tour continued with visits to the Hz. Süleyman Mosque, Hasan Pasha Inn, Cahit Sıtkı Tarancı Museum, Ulu Mosque, and the famous 10-Eyed Bridge in order. The program ended with a late lunch.
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