The present invention is generally directed to composite elevator belts for use in lifting and lowering an elevator car. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for producing a composite elevator belt having one or more fiber layer and a composite elevator belt obtained therefrom.

Elevators for vertically transporting people and goods are an integral part of modern residential and commercial buildings. A typical elevator system includes one or more elevator cars raised and lowered by a hoist system. The hoist system typically includes both driven and idler sheave assemblies over which one or more tension members attached to the elevator car are driven. Tension members can also be attached to the counterweight or building structure itself. The elevator car is raised or lowered due to traction between the tension members and drive sheaves. A variety of tension member types, including wire rope, V-belts, flat belts, and chains, may be used, with the sheave assemblies having corresponding running surfaces to transmit tractive force between the tension members and the sheave assemblies.

A limiting factor in the design of current elevator systems is the minimum bend radius of the tension members. If a tension member is flexed beyond its minimum bend radius, the compressive forces within the tension member may exceed the breaking strength of the tension member material. Continuous operation of the tension members below their minimum bend radii can cause fatigue at an increased and unpredictable rate and, under extreme circumstances, may result in elastic deformation and failure. Thus, minimum size of the sheaves useable in an elevator system is governed by the minimum bend radius of the tension members.

For several reasons, sheaves having a smaller diameter allow for more economical elevator system designs. First, the overall component cost of an elevator system can be significantly reduced by using smaller diameter sheaves and sheave assemblies. Second, smaller diameter sheaves reduce the motor torque necessary to drive the elevator system, thereby permitting use of smaller drive motors and allowing for smaller hoistway dimensions. Additionally, decreasing the bend radius of the tension members generally permits easier installation and decreases the spool size of the tension members. Accordingly, minimizing the bend radius of elevator tension members, and conversely increasing tension member flexibility, is desirable. Among current tension member designs, composite belts having fiber or fiber strands encased in a resin or polymer generally offer the greatest flexibility. However, such belts must typically have a ratio of the bending diameter to the thickness of the load carrier of greater than 200 (that is, D/t > 200, where“D” is bending diameter and“t” is load carrier thickness) to attain a sufficient fatigue life of the belt. For example, the minimum sheave diameter in a high rise elevator using known composite belts ranges from approximately 600 millimeters to approximately 1000 millimeters due to the stiffness of suitable resin casings. Typically, the resin must have a Young’s modulus of approximately 2 gigapascals (GPa) or greater to adequately support the fibers or strands.

When a tension member is engaged with a sheave, the tension member is subjected to compression along an outer area in contact with the sheave and tension along an outer area away from the sheave. Frictional tractive force between the tension member and the pulley can impart additional compression to the outer surface of the tension member where the tension member is bent around the sheave. Many materials used to manufacture elevator tension members are significantly stronger in tension than compression. For example, carbon fiber, which is used in many composite belt designs such as in U.S. Patent No. 9, 126,805 to Pelto- Huikko et al., is typically only 20-70% as strong in compression as it is in tension. Therefore, tension members are typically more likely to fail especially due to fatigue as a result of internal compression experienced during the engagement with the sheave. Accordingly, the minimum bend radii of existing tension members is governed by internal compression loads due to bending.

It is known in the art that the fiber arrangement in a composite belt is a determining factor in the resulting physical properties of the belt, such as bending flexibility, fatigue, stiffness and breaking strength. It is also known in the art that load carriers comprise unidirectional orientated fibers embedded in a matrix system. A cross-sectional view in the width-thickness direction of a typical composite belt shows an unequal distance pattern between adjacent fibers over the whole cross-sectional area. Depending on the applied pultrusion process, it is also common to have some areas of the cross-section having high fiber content and other areas having low fiber content. This leads to performance losses and a lower fatigue lifetime of the belt. The problem of uneven fiber distribution is further compounded by different fiber diameters due to the use of fibers having non-identical diameter sizes, fibers comprising bonding agents and fibers comprising primers.

It is thus desired to have a composite elevator belt which has a defined fiber distribution throughout its cross-section in order to achieve optimal bending properties and a long fatigue lifetime. It is also desired to have a process to produce a composite elevator belt having a defined fiber distribution throughout its cross-section.

The invention provides a solution to the above problem and is described in the following embodiments. The invention relates to:

111 A process for producing a composite elevator belt having one or more fiber layer (FL),

comprising the steps of:

a) providing one or more roving having a width W _R wherein each roving comprises a plurality of fibers. The rovings are preferably comprised on a spool rack wherein said rack comprises a plurality of spools. Each spool within the plurality of spools has a breaking mechanism, this preferably helps to control the pre-tensioning of the roving before fiber spreading. The spools are preferably positioned one above the other so that the fibers of the rovings form vertical layers when being pulled in a pulling direction D _P .

b) spreading the fibers using a spreading apparatus to increase the width W _R . Width W _R is preferably in the range of from 1 mm to 10 mm, more preferably in the range of from 2 mm to 8 mm, most preferably in the range of from 4 mm to 6 mm. Preferably the width W _R is increased to a width W _c . Preferably width W _c is in the range of from 35 mm to 75 mm, more preferably in the range of from 40 mm to 60 mm, most preferably in the range of from 41 mm to 43 mm;

c) impregnating the spread fibers in a resin bath;

d) further treating the impregnated fibers to form a load carrier. Futher treatment preferably comprises at least curing the load carrier;

e) optionally applying a jacket to the load carrier to form a composite elevator belt. When a jacket layer is applied, the width Wc increases to W _B . Preferably width W _B is in the range of from 35 mm to 85 mm, more preferably, in the range from 42 mm to 70 mm, most preferably in the range of from 43 mm to 50 mm.

The process according to the invention is characterized in that the plurality of fibers of a first roving undergo process steps (b) and (c) separately from the plurality of fibers of at least one further roving, wherein the plurality fibers of the first roving and the plurality fibers of the further roving undergo process steps (b) to (c) simultaneously, preferably process steps (b) to (e) simultaneously. This advantageously provides that each roving is individually treated before being contacted with at least one further roving. Additionally it provides for a controlled spreading of the fibers and thereby a control over the fiber distribution within the cross-section of the resulting composite elevator belt. The composite elevator belt preferably comprises carbon fibers.

In another embodiment of the invention, the plurality of fibers of a first roving are combined with a plurality of fibers of at least a second roving, wherein the combined fibers undergo process steps (b) and (c) separately from the plurality of fibers of at least one further roving, wherein the plurality fibers of the combined first and second roving and the plurality fibers of the at least one further roving undergo process steps (b) to (e) simultaneously. The at least one further roving can also be combined with a plurality of fibers from at least one additional roving. This advantageously provides that each roving, including the combined roving, is individually treated before being contacted with at least one further roving. Additionally it provides for a controlled spreading of the fibers and thereby a control over the fiber distribution within the cross-section of the resulting composite elevator belt. The composite elevator belt preferably comprises carbon fibers.

|2| The process according to embodiment 111, characterized in that the spreading apparatus comprises more than one spreading means. Preferably the spreading apparatus comprises more than 2 spreading means, more preferably, the spreading apparatus comprises 3 spreading means. The number of spreading means used will ultimately be determined by the physical traits of the roving itself, e.g., thickness, width. The spreading means advantageously increases the width of the roving from width W _R to width Wc- It is preferred that at least one spreading means is powered. This advantageously creates a defined relative movement between the moving fibers and the spreading bar surface allowing maintenance of an equal fiber distribution over the width of the load carrier and thereby the belt.

I3I The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that at least one spreading means is movable. It is preferably powered and can be optionally rotatable. Preferably at least one spreading means has an uneven outer circumference to facilitate equal spreading of fibers in the width direction. This advantageously improves the spreading process. A preferred circumference geometry comprises peaks and troughs since this geometry can separate fibers easier than a smooth circumference. An example of such a geometry includes a crown shape. In a preferred embodiment, more than one spreading means has an uneven circumference. In a most preferred embodiment, all spreading means have an uneven circumference, wherein the uneven circumference has a crown shape. |4| The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that the resin bath comprises a resin material and at least one impregnation means for impregnating the spread rovings. The resin material is preferably a matrix material, more preferably a polymer matrix material. Suitable resin materials for elevator belts are well known in the art and thus will not be described in further detail. The impregnation means is preferably adapted to rotate and is preferably of a wheel shape.

I5I The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that the resin bath comprises at least a first impregnation means which moves at a first speed, preferably, the speed of tractor, and a second impregnation means which moves at a second speed.

The second impregnation means can move in the same direction as the first impregnation means or a different one. The second speed can be the same as the first speed or different. Preferably, the second impregnation means moves in a direction that is opposite to the pulling direction of the tractor. Preferably the second impregnation means moves in a direction that is opposite to the pulling direction of the tractor and opposite to the direction of the first impregnation means. This advantageously improves resin coverage. Preferably the impregnation means are in the form of wheels. Said wheels advantageously facilitate the distribution of resin throughout the fibers. The impregnation means are preferably controllable by varying the speed/direction of movement of the wheels.

I6I The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that the resin bath further comprises at least one further impregnation means. The at least one further impregnation means can move in the same direction as the pulling direction as the tractor or different. It can also move at the same speed as the first and/or second impregnation means or different. Preferably the further impregnation means moves in the same direction as the pulling direction of the tractor, it is also preferred that it travels at a similar speed to the pulling speed, this avoids any slackening of fibers as well as any unnecessary strain from over-stretching. The further impregnation means advantageously facilitates the removal of the impregnated roving from the resin bath and also gives the fiber bundle more shape before pultrusion.

|7| The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that at least one impregnation means is powered. This preferably creates a relative movement between the moving fiber bundle and the impregnation wheel surface to improve impregnation. More preferably, more than one impregnation means is powered, this provides better control of the impregnation process. |8I The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that at least one of the impregnation means has an uneven surface. Such an uneven surface can be similar in geometry to the uneven surface of the spreading means, e.g., comprising peaks and troughs. This advantageously serves to manipulate the fiber surface for example by spreading areas with a high coverage of resin material to areas devoid of resin material or to areas with a low resin coverage or by helping the resin material to better impregnate the fibers. Therefore, fiber impregnation is improved.

I9I The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that the

rovings, in particular the fibers of the rovings are pre-treated before process step (b). This advantageously improves fiber quality before treatment takes place and thus ultimately provides a higher quality composite belt.

I 10I The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that the pre treatment step is one selected from pre-tensioning, or heating, or a combination of both. Most preferably, it is a combination of both. Tensioning removes any slack within the fiber so that all fibers have the same pre-tension before any further process step is taken. Fibers having differing pre-tension which are then formed into a composite belt compromise the strength of the resulting composite belt. Adjustment of the pre-tension can be carried out by operating the braking mechanism on the spool comprising the roving. If necessary, the braking mechanism on each spool can be actuated in order to achieve a common pre tension among each set of fibers to be used and thereby ensuring that the strength of the belt is improved, bleating serves to remove any residual impurity resting on the fiber surface, thereby ensuring that the impregnated fiber is of a high quality, bleating can be carried out using any means suitable. Most preferably it is carried out via an inductive heater unit.

In one embodiment, pre-treatment can include the combining of fibers of one roving with the fibers of one or more other roving before spreading occurs. This advantageously provides a composite belt comprising a plurality of fiber layers which are horizontally and vertically connected and which can be achieved without requiring significant numbers of spreading apparatus or impregnators to be used.

| 11| The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that prior to process step (d), the spread and impregnated fibers are aligned with respect to each other. This advantageously provides for a control of fiber layer distribution throughout the cross- section of the load carrier and ultimately the composite belt. Preferably a gap of distance (D) is present in the vertical direction between the groups of fiber layers. Alignment preferably occurs using alignment wheels - the minimum distance of D is one quarter of a fiber diameter- this advantageously allows for control of the fiber layer orientation.

| 12| The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that prior to step (d), the spread and impregnated fibers are optionally treated with resin. Preferably, further treatment with resin is occurs if there are spaces between layers or groups of layers devoid of resin. Preferably, further treatment occurs in a transversal resin injection chamber. This advantageously ensures optimum impregnation of the fibers.

I 13I The process according to any of the preceding embodiments, characterized in that a first roving has a width W _R , wherein the width W _R of the first roving is the same as or different to the width W _R of at least one further roving. This advantageously provides for rovings of the same width or different widths to be used in this process, thereby increasing the number of achievable fiber layer variations.

The invention also relates to:

| 14| A composite elevator belt having one or more fiber layer (FL) obtained from the process according to any of embodiments 111 to I 13I,

wherein

- the one or more FL comprises a plurality of fibers characterized in that

- each fiber within the one or more FL contacts an adjacent fiber within the same FL. This advantageously provides a composite belt having a defined fiber distribution throughout its cross-section and therefore having optimal bending and a long fatigue lifetime.

I 15I A composite elevator belt having one or more FL obtained from the process according to any of embodiments 111 to 113I,

characterized in that

- a first fiber layer (1FL) contacts at least one second fiber layer (2FL) to provide a group of fiber layers (FG)

wherein

- each fiber within the 1FL contacts an adjacent fiber within the 1FL and

- each fiber within the 2FL contacts an adjacent fiber within the 2FL. This advantageously provides a composite belt having a defined fiber distribution throughout its cross-section and therefore having optimal bending and a long fatigue lifetime. I 16I A composite elevator belt having one or more FL obtained from the process according to any of embodiments 111 to 113I,

characterized in that

- it comprises at least one fiber layer (FL) or at least one group of fiber layers (FG1, FG2) wherein

- a group of fiber layers (FG1, FG2) comprises at least one first fiber layer (FL) in contact with at least one second fiber layer (FL). This advantageously provides a composite belt having a defined fiber distribution throughout its cross-section and therefore having optimal bending and a long fatigue lifetime.

| 17| A composite elevator belt having one or more FL obtained from the process according to any of embodiments 111 to 113I,

characterized in that

- it comprises at least one fiber layer (FL) and at least one group of fiber layers (FG1, FG2) wherein

- a group of fiber layers (FG1, FG2) comprises at least one first fiber layer (1FL) in contact with at least one second fiber layer (2FL). This advantageously provides a composite belt having a defined fiber distribution throughout its cross-section and therefore having optimal bending and a long fatigue lifetime.

The invention is described in more detail with the help of the figures, wherein it is shown schematically:

Fig. 1 shows a representation of a production process according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a representation of a production process according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig 3 shows a composite elevator belt obtained by the process according to the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a step diagram of a process according to the invention.

To produce a composite belt with a desired layered fiber arrangement, the commercially obtainable rovings used are normally too thick and not wide enough to cover the desired load carrier width. Taking for example, a 12 K roving (i.e., a fiber bundle having 12,000 fibers) with a width (W) of 5 mm and a thickness (T) of 0.15 mm. (For clarification on the width and thickness directions, see figs. 3a to 3c). Such a roving has 22 layers of fibers in the thickness direction.

The desired width (W) of the load carrier, however, is 42 mm and the desired thickness is 0.014 mm. Such a load carrier has only 2 layers in the thickness direction. Therefore, in order for this 12K roving to be made into a load carrier having the desired width, the number of fiber layers needs to be reduced from 22 to 2, see Table 1.

Table 1: Fiber bundle dimension of a 12 K roving and the required dimensions for a load carrier of 42 mm in width

Taking a 24K Roving as another example. Such a roving has double as many fibers as a 12K roving. This is equivalent to a load carrier of 42 mm in width having 4 fiber layers. Table 2 shows typical roving sizes and the corresponding number of layers in a load carrier of 42 mm in width. Preferably the fiber diameter of the roving is 7 pm.

Table 2: Roving size and number of layers in a load carrier with a width of 42 mm or 84 mm. Theoretically, each fiber layer could be spread separately but this would require a significant amount, e.g., hundreds, of spreaders and impregnators which is not possible in practical terms. It can thus be advantageous to combine more than one roving before performing the spreading step, which would result e.g. in a fiber group having horizontally and vertically connected fibers. In such a case, for example, only around five spreaders and impregnators to produce a composite elevator belt would be required. By feeding more than one roving into a spreading apparatus, this produces more layers in a fiber group, and thus advantageously provides a more economic production process.

It is thus advantageous to have a process which allows for the spreading of the fibers within a roving to a desired width in order to produce a load carrier of a desired width, and consequently achieve a composite elevator belt with a defined fiber distribution and improved physical properties, e.g., improved flexibility and bending and an improved lifetime. The process according to the invention solves this problem.

The process employs an apparatus 2000 as shown in Fig. l which forms each fiber layer FL individually before the at least one outer layer 210 and the central layer 220 are joined in a final forming stage to form a belt 100. The apparatus 2000 includes a first roving coil rack 2100a associated with the central layer 220, a second roving coil rack 2100b associated with a first of the outer layers 210, and a third roving coil rack 2100c associated with a second of the outer layers 210. The roving coil racks 2100a-2100c hold the load carrier strands 211, 231, 221 for the outer layers 210 and central layer 220, respectively.

A first resin bath 2200a associated with the central layer 220 and a first roving coil rack 2100a contains a bath of liquid resin for forming the resin coating (not shown) of the central layer 220. The load carrier strands 221 of the central layer 220 of width WR are pulled from the first roving coil rack 2100a and over an inductive heater unit 3000. In addition to, or alternatively to inductive heating, the strands 221 are subjected to a pre-tensioning step via actuation of the braking mechanism 2110 comprised within the spool 2100a. Once the pre-treatment stage is completed, the strands 221 enter a spreading apparatus 4000 so that the width WR is increased to WC. The spreading apparatus 4000 comprises a plurality of spreading means 4100, at least one of which is preferably powered. An example of such a spreading means is a spreader bar 4100. In the figure, three spreader bars 4100 are used. A further bar 4100 can be added to create a defined relative movement between the moving fibers 211 and the spreading bar 4100 surface to maintain an equal fiber distribution over the width of the load carrier 200 and thereby the elevator belt 100. After fiber spreading, the spread fibers 221s of width WC are pulled through the first resin bath 6000a to impregnate the load carrier strands 221 with liquid resin. The resin bath 6000a comprises an impregnating means 5000 wherein the impregnating means 5000 comprises a plurality of impregnating means 5000a, 5000b, 5000c. Each impregnation means 5000a,

5000b, 5000c is powered. The first impregnation means 5000a with which the fibers 221s come into contact moves in the same direction as the pulling direction of the tractor 2500. The second impregnation means 5000b with which the fibers 221s come into contact moves in a direction opposite to the pulling direction of the tractor 2500. The third impregnation means 5000c with which the fibers 221s come into contact moves in the same direction as the pulling direction of the tractor and facilitates removal of the impregnated fibers 22 li from the resin bath 6000a.

Similarly, second and third resin baths 6000b, 6000c associated with the outer layers 220 and the second and third roving coil racks 2100b, 2100c each contain a bath of liquid resin for forming the resin coating (not shown) of the outer layers 210. The load carrier strands 211, 231 of the two outer layers 210 each having a respective width WR are pulled from the second and third roving coil racks 2100b, 2100c and over an inductive heater unit 3000. In addition to, or alternatively to inductive heating, the strands 211, 231 are subjected to a pre-tensioning step via actuation of the braking mechanism 2110 comprised within the spools 2100b and 2100c. Once the pre-treatment stage is completed, the strands 211, 231 enter a spreading apparatus 4000 so that the width WR is increased to WC. The spreading apparatus 4000 comprises a plurality of spreading means 4100, which are preferably powered. An example of such a spreading means is a spreader bar 4100. In the figure, three spreader bars 4100 are used. A further bar 4100 can be added to create a defined relative movement between the respective moving fibers 211, 231 and the spreading bar 4100 surface to maintain an equal fiber distribution over the width of the load carrier 200 and thereby the elevator belt 100.

After fiber spreading, the spread fibers 211s, 231s each having a respective width WC are pulled through their respective resin baths 6000b, 6000c to impregnate the load carrier strands 211, 231 with liquid resin. Each of the respective resin baths 6000b, 6000c comprise an impregnating means 5000 wherein the impregnating means 5000 comprises a plurality of impregnating means 5000a, 5000b, 5000c. Each impregnation means 5000a, 5000b, 5000c is powered. The impregnation means 500a, 500b, 500c is preferably a wheel. The first impregnation means 5000a with which the respective fibers 211s, 231s come into contact moves in the same direction as the pulling direction of the tractor 2500. The second impregnation means 5000b with which the respective fibers 211s, 231s come into contact moves in a direction opposite to the pulling direction of the tractor 2500. The third impregnation means 5000c with which the respective fibers 211s, 231s come into contact moves in the same direction as the pulling direction of the tractor and facilitates removal of the impregnated fibers 21 li, 23 li from the resin bath 6000a.

The liquid resin in the resin baths 6000a, 6000b, 6000c may be intermixed with an additive suitable for forming a plurality of cavities (not shown) in the resin coating. In some embodiments, the additive may be a blowing agent, such as azodicarbonamide, which decomposes into gas during the subsequent curing of the liquid resin. In other embodiments, the additive may be solid particles, liquid particles, or gas particles. The amount or volume of the chosen additive intermixed with the liquid resin may be governed to control the total volume of the cavities ultimately defined in the finished resin coating. Measures may be undertaken to ensure that the additive is homogenously intermixed with the liquid resin so that the cavities are subsequently defined having substantially uniform spacing in the finished resin coating. In some

embodiments, the load carrier strands 211, 221 may be coated with an additive, such as a blowing agent, prior to being pulled into the resin baths 6000a, 6000b, 6000c, alternatively or in addition to the additive intermixed with the liquid resin.

After the load carrier strands 211, 221 of the outer layers 210 and the central layer 220 are impregnated with liquid resin, the load carrier strands 21 li, 22 li, 23 li, each representing a respective fiber layer FL, are pulled out of the resin baths 6000a-6000c and into a layer distance alignment means 7000 in order to arrive at a preferred distance D between the fiber layers, i.e., between the outer layer 201 and the central layer 220. The distance is shown more clearly in the inset figures li and lii, wherein fig li shows the distance D l, D2 between the single fiber layers 210, 220 and figure lii shows the distance D l, D2 between a group of fiber layers FG1, FG2,

FG3 formed from a plurality of single fiber layers 210 ,220 A distance D l exists between the central layer 220 and the top outer layer 210 and a distance D2 exists between the central layer 220 and the bottom outer layer 210. In this example, D l and D2 are equal. It is also envisaged that D l and D2 can be different. A distance D l exists between the central fiber group layer FG2 compromised of a plurality of fiber layers 210, and the top fiber group layer FG1, comprised of a plurality of fiber layers 210. A distance D2 exists between the central fiber group layer FG2 comprised of a plurality of fiber layers 220 and the bottom outer fiber group layer FG3 comprised of a plurality of fiber layers 210. In this example, Dl and D2 are equal. It is also envisaged that D l and D2 can be different. Then the impregnated fibers 21 li, 22 li, 23 li are pulled into a forming and curing die 2300 where the outer layers 210 and central layer 220 are joined together. When entering the forming and curing die 2300, the liquid resin impregnating the load carrier strands 211, 221, 231 remains in an at least partially liquid phase to facilitate adhesion of the outer layers 210 to the central layer 220. Within the forming and curing die 2300, final shaping of the outer layers 210 and the central layer 220 is performed, and the liquid resin impregnating the load carrier strands 21 li, 22 li, 23 li is cured to form the resin coatings (not shown) of the outer layers 210 and central layer 220. Curing of the resin coatings may be achieved, for example, by induction heating of the load carrier strands 211, 221, 231 and/or the liquid resin.

In embodiments of the composite elevator belt 100 in which a blowing agent is intermixed with the liquid resin of the outer layers 210, the forming and curing die 2300 may also provide heat to decompose the blowing agent prior to or concurrently with the curing of the resin coating 212 of the outer layers 210.

After curing is completed in the forming and curing die 2300, the load carrier 200, now including all of the outer layers 210 and the central layer 220 joined together, may optionally be pulled through a jacket extruder 2400 which deposits the jacket layer 300 onto external surfaces of the load carrier 100. The composite elevator belt 100 exits the jacket extruder 2400 fully formed. With a jacket layer (not shown), the width of the load carrier increases from WC to WB thus the width WB represents the width of the elevator belt 100.

A tractor 2500 located downstream of the jacket extruder 2400 and/or the forming and curing dies 2300 applies a pulling force to unwind the load carrier strands 211, 221, 231 from the roving coil racks 2100a-2100c and pull the load carrier strands 211, 221, 231 through the resin bath 6000a-6000c, the forming and curing die 2300, and, optionally, the jacket extruder 2400. The finished composite elevator belt 100 is then wound into a spool by a spooler 2600.

Utilizing the apparatus 2000 described above, a method for making a composite elevator belt 100 includes partially forming the at least one outer layer 210 of the load carrier 100 by impregnating the load carrier strands 211 of the at least one outer layer 210 with liquid resin in the second and third resin baths 6000b, 6000c. The liquid resin in the second and third resin baths 6000b, 6000c may be intermixed with an additive selected from a group consisting of deformable materials and blowing agents. The central layer 220 of the load carrier 100 may be formed in substantially the same manner as the outer layers 210, namely by impregnating the load carrier strands 221 of the central layer 220 with liquid resin in the resin bath 6000a. The outer layers 210 and the central layer 220 may then be pulled from the forming and curing die 2300 to join the outer layers 210 to the central layer 220 and cure the liquid resin of the outer layers 210 and the central layer 220. While the apparatus 2000 and method described above provide one embodiment for manufacturing the composite elevator belt 100, variations may be made to suit the requirements of a particular application. For example, the spacing between fibers in at least one fiber layer e.g., outer or central, may be the same as or different to the spacing between another fiber layer, e.g., outer or central. It can be that all fiber layers comprise a different fiber spacing, the same fiber spacing, or at least two layers have the same fiber spacing.

In other embodiments, additional tooling may be added to the apparatus 2000 to perform additional forming operations to the composite elevator belt 100, for example a transverse injection chamber 8000 as shown in fig. 2 can be optionally added to the apparatus between the distance alignment means 7000 and the forming and curing die 2300. A transversal resin injection chamber 8000 comprises a plurality of injection means 8100 for supplying a resin material to the impregnated strands 21 li, 22 li, 23 li. A preferred injection means 8100 is a nozzle. The figure 2i shows the fibers 21 li, 22 li, 23 li in their respective fiber layers 210, 220, 210 the entering the transversal resin injection chamber 8000 and the nozzles 8100 for supplying the resin material. The nozzles 8100 are shown as being positioned between the fiber layers 210, 220, however, they may be positioned at any point. This final impregnation step can be added to ensure that all load carrier strands 21 li, 22 li, 23 li are completely impregnated and that no areas void of resin exist before entering the forming and curing die 2300.

At least one further spool comprising a roving may also be added to the spool rack 2100 in order to add further layers to the composite elevator belt 100. In such a case, the fiber layers and fiber groups will resemble those as shown in figure lii.

In still other embodiments, the load carrier 200 may include an outer layer 210 on only one side of the central layer 220, or the load carrier 200 may include multiple outer layers 210 stacked on and joined with each other on any side or sides of central layer 220.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a composite elevator belt 100 obtained from the process according to the invention as described in figures 1 and 2. The belt 100 comprises a plurality of fibers 211, 221, 231 in a matrix 201. The fibers 211 and 231 represent a top outer layer 210 and a bottom outer layer 210 respectively. The fibers 221 represent a central layer 220. The top outer layer 210 comprises two fiber layers 1FL, 2FL. The fibers 211, 221, 231, extend in the longitudinal direction and the fiber layers FL, 1FL, 2FL extend across the width direction. Figs. 3a to 3c are merely for information purposes to show in which plane the fiber layers are positioned. The fibers 211 in each fiber layer 1FL, 2FL contact an adjacent fiber in the same fiber layer. The fiber layer 1FL contacts the fiber layer 2FL such that the fibers 211 in 1FL are aligned in matching sequence with the corresponding fibers 211 in the contacting fiber layer 2FL to form a fiber group FG1.

Similarly, the central layer 220 comprises two fiber layers 1FL, 2FL. The fibers 221 in each fiber layer 1FL, 2FL contact an adjacent fiber in the same fiber layer. The fiber layer 1FL contacts the fiber layer 2FL such that the fibers 221 in 1FL are aligned in matching sequence with the corresponding fibers 221 in the contacting fiber layer 2FL to form a fiber group FG2.

A distanceD l exists between the fiber group FG1 and the fiber group FG2. This distance is determined by the distance alignment means 7000. A distance D2 exists between the fiber group FG2 and the fiber layer FL comprising fibers 231 of the bottom outer layer 210. Again, this distance is determined by the distance alignment means 7000. The fibers in each fiber layer FL are shown to be in contact, however it is also envisaged that there can be an inter-fiber distance between at least two adjacent fibers in a fiber layer. This spacing is preferably determined by the spreading apparatus 4000.

It is also envisaged that the layers of fibers can be orientated according to desire, it is further envisaged that the fiber groups can be orientated according to desire. The fiber layers within a fiber group can also be located such that there is a disjoint between the layers and the fibers are not aligned in matching sequence with the corresponding fibers of the contacting layer.

Fig. 4 shows a step diagram of the process according to the invention. A first step requires the provision of one or more rovings 21, 22, 23 comprising a plurality of fibers 211, 221, 231 on spools 2100a, 2100b, 2100c, to a spool rack 2100. The second step requires spreading the fibers to a width Wc- A third step involves the impregnation of the spread fibers to provide impregnated fibers 21 li, 22 li,, 23 li. The fourth step requires alignment of the fibers in their respective layers so that a desired distance D exists between each fiber layer FL. The fiber layers FL can be optionally introduced to a transversal resin chamber 8000 in order to further impregnate the fibers. The fifth step is passing the impregnated fibers 21 li, 22 li, 23 li through a forming and curing die 2300 to produce a load carrier 200 which is then extruded in a sixth step to form a composite elevator belt 100 having a desired fiber distribution throughout its cross- section.

While several examples of a composite elevator belt for an elevator system, as well as methods for making the same, are shown in the accompanying figures and described in detail hereinabove, other examples will be apparent to and readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, it is to be understood that aspects of the various embodiments described hereinabove may be combined with aspects of other embodiments while still falling within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive.

Reference List

21 roving

22 roving

23 roving

100 belt

200 load carrier

201 matrix

210 outer layer

220 central layer

21 1 fibers

221 fibers

231 fibers

21 1 s spread fibers

221 s spread fibers

231 s spread fibers

21 1 i impregnated fiber

221 i impregnated fiber

231 i impregnated fiber

300 jacket

2000 apparatus

2100 spool rack

2100a spool

2100b spool

2100c spool

21 10 spool brake

2300 forming and curing die

2400 extruder

2500 tractor

2600 spooler

3000 heater

4000 spreading apparatus

4100 spreading means

5000 impregnating means

6000 resin bath

7000 layer distance alignment means

8000 transverse injection chamber

8100 injection means

D1 distance between groups of fiber layers

D2 distance between group of fiber layers and a fiber layer

FL fiber layer

FG1 group of fiber layers FG2 group of fiber layers

W _| roving width w, load carrier width

W _| belt width