Abstract
The overtravel arrest mechanism consists of buffers beneath the car and often beneath the counterweight. During lift car/counterweight buffering, both in free fall and in the scenario when the suspension remains intact, various adverse dynamic phenomena may occur and should be considered. This paper presents simplified models for predicting the dynamic behaviour of a lift system during overtravel under buffer-strike conditions. The models incorporate both linear and nonlinear buffer characteristics and are implemented in a computer simulation environment. Simulation tests are conducted over a range of buffer impact speeds and lift system parameters to evaluate buffering forces and impact-induced dynamic phenomena.