There is a Big C store near me, up in Rexdale. This was built on a tiny piece of land, and they wanted to pack in a zillion stores. This store is noted for cheap hotdogs, and also, huge carts full of televisions. We love it because it's close.
In order to have more parking, they built on two levels. We always park underground, and take one of four huge elevators to the shopping level. These elevators are out all the time, and today they were all out, and we had to zip out again to the top. Luckily, this store is so empty, the ruskies could shoot cannons.
Even when the elevators are working, they make so much rattling noise, that I know they will soon be out again.
This is an engineering failure, like the Ottawa LRT. Why? First of all, it is new engineering. These are monster elevators that can take 10 full carts and people. However, they have put them into a very shaky, cheap concrete construction. This is typical Toronto construction where you don't see any stiffness. I would love to put my accelerometers on it. I expect huge PGV's when the elevators sync.
The problem with elevators is that they are railed constructions with very little tolerance for shifts. They have been placed in a bendy structure. A standard elevator can squirm, but the large ones probably put ten times the stress on the rails.
This is such a disaster that the elevators will probably be fixed when the LRT is. That is, never. I wouldn't even know how to fix it. I think the whole concept is physically impossible. Also, this store has no propane filling, so I'll probably just abandon it.
ps. I have always found that when an engineering failure gets all the old guys scratching their heads, then it is a complex dynamic situation. They'll scream and shout that it isn't, but they don't instrument, and it never works.
pps. for pleasant, commercial operation, you must always ensure that nothing is stressed more than 10% of strength. If it is an jet liner, then any part stressed over that must be replaced often.
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