When space permits, a sloping surface, or ramp, can be used to connect different levels or floors (Fig. 16.1). As a means of saving space in some garages, every floor serves as a ramp. Each floor is split longitudinally, each section sloping gradually in opposite directions to meet the next level above and below.
Ramps are especially useful when large numbers of people or vehicles have to be moved from floor to floor. So they are frequently adopted for public buildings, such as railroad stations, stadiums, and exhibition halls. And they are either legally required or highly desirable for all buildings, especially to accommodate persons in wheelchairs. In all cases, ramps should be constructed with a nonslip surface.
Ramps have been built with slopes up to 15% (15 ft in 100 ft), but 8% is a preferred maximum. Some idea of the space required for a ramp may be obtained from the following: With the 8% maximum slope and a story height of, say, 8 ft, a ramp connecting two floors is 100 ft long (Fig. 16.1a). The ramp need not be straight for the whole distance, however. It can be curved, zigzagged (Fig. 16.1b), or spiraled. Level landings, with a length of at least 44 in in the direction of travel, should be provided at door openings and where ramps change slope or direction abruptly. Ramps and landings should be designed for a live load of at least 100 lb/ ft^2. Railings should be designed for a load of 200 lb applied downward or horizontally at any point of the handrail or for a horizontal thrust of 50 lb / ft at top of rail. Guards higher than the minimum required guard height of 42 in should be designed for 50 lb / ft applied 42 in above the floor.
Inside Ramps. Local building codes and the National Fire Protection Association Life Safety Code contain general requirements for acceptability of a ramp as a means of emergency egress (see Art. 5.10). Egress ramps are classified as Class A or Class B. The latter may be as narrow as 30 in, whereas Class A must be at least 44 in wide. (This width can accommodate two adults abreast.) Also, the Life Safety Code restricts Class A ramps to slopes of 10% or less and Class B ramps
to slopes of not more than 1 in 8. In addition, for Class B, the vertical distance between landings may not exceed 12 ft, but no limit is placed on this distance for Class A. Building codes usually require Class A ramps only for places of assembly of more than 1000 persons. For other types of occupancy, codes may permit the choice of ramp class to be based on emergency exit capacity required.
The capacity, in persons per 22-in unit of ramp width, may be taken as 100 in the downward direction and 60 in the upward direction for Class B ramps. For Class A ramps, the capacity may be taken as 100 persons per unit of width in either direction.
To be acceptable as a means of egress, a ramp inside a building more than three stories high or a building of noncombustible or fire-resistant construction is required to be of noncombustible construction. The ramp also should be protected by separation from other parts of the building in the same way as other means of egress. There should be no enclosed usable space, such as closets, under the ramp, nor should the open space under the ramp be used for any purpose. (Other enclosed ramps, however, are permitted to be located under the ramp.)
For all inside ramps, guards vertical protective barriers should be provided along the edges of ramps and along the edges of floor openings over ramps, to prevent falls over the open edges. Requirements for type of construction and minimum height for such barriers are the same as those for stairs (see Art. 16.3).
Handrails are required only for Class B ramps.
Outside Ramps. A ramp permanently installed on the outside of a building is acceptable as a means of egress if the life-safety requirements for inside egress ramps are met. For outside ramps more than three stories high, however, guards along ramp edges should be at least 4 ft high. Also, for such ramps, provision should be made to prevent accumulations of snow or ice.
Powered Ramps. In some buildings, such as air terminals, in which pedestrians have to be moved speedily over long distances, traffic may be transported on a moving walk, a type of passenger-carrying powered device on which passengers stand or walk. In the moving walk, the treadway, guards, and handrails are continuous and travel parallel to the direction of motion, which may be horizontal or on a slope up to 15. (For greater slopes, an escalator should be used. See Art. 16.4.)
Although moving walks can transport passengers at speeds up to 180 ft /min, speeds are generally between 90 and 120 ft /min.
Inclined moving walks are classified as powered ramps. Such ramps are acceptable as a means of egress if they meet the egress requirements of stationary ramps. (Moving walks are acceptable if they meet the requirements for exits. See Art. 3.10.5.) Powered ramps, however, must be incapable of operation in the direction opposite to normal exit travel.
The installation of moving walks and powered ramps should meet the requirements of the American National Standard Safety Code for Elevators, Dumbwaiters, Escalators and Moving Walks, ANSI A17.1.
Basically, moving walks and powered ramps consist of a grooved treadway moved by a driving machine; a handrail on each side of the treadway that moves at the same speed as the treadway; balustrades, or guards, that enclose the treadway on each side and support the handrails; brakes; control devices; and threshold plates at the entrance to and the exit from the treadway. The purpose of the threshold plates is to facilitate smooth passage of passengers between treadway and landing.
The plates are equipped with a comb, or teeth, that mesh with and are set into grooves in the treadway in the direction of travel. Their purpose is to provide firm footing and to prevent things from becoming trapped between the treadway and the landing.
The treadway may be constructed in one of the following ways:
1. Belt type a power-driven continuous belt.
2. Pallet type a series of connected, power-driven pallets. (A pallet is a short, rigid platform, which, when joined to other pallets, forms an articulated treadway.)
3. Belt pallet type a series of connected, power-driven pallets to which a continuous belt is fastened.
4. Edge-supported belt type a belt supported near its edges by rollers in sequence.
5. Roller-bed type a treadway supported throughout its width by rollers in sequence.
6. Slider-bed type a treadway that slides on a supporting surface.
Powered ramps resemble escalators in construction (see Art. 16.4). For example, both types of transporters are supported on steel trusses. The driving machine may be connected to the main drive shaft by toothed gearing, a coupling, or a chain.
Movement of the treadway and handrails can be halted by an electrically released, mechanically applied brake, located either on the driving machine or on the main drive shaft and activated automatically when a power failure occurs, when the treadway or a handrail breaks, or when a safety device is actuated. For moving walks and ramps, safety devices required include switches for starting, emergency stopping, and maintenance stopping, and a speed governor that will prevent the treadway speed from exceeding 40% more than the maximum design speed.
Balustrades should be at least 30 in high, measured perpendicular to the treadway.
Hand or finger guards are installed where the handrails enter the balustrades.
The handrails should extend at normal height at least 12 in beyond each end of the exposed treadway, to facilitate entry and exit of passengers from or onto a level landing.
Information on passenger capacity of a moving walk or powered ramp should be obtained from the manufacturer. The capacity depends on treadway width and speed. Standard widths are 24, 32, and 40 in. With level entry and exit, ramp speeds generally are a maximum of 180 ft /min for slopes up to 8 and 140 ft /min for slopes between 8 and 15.
