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Science and technology
科學(xué)技術(shù)
Lifts and skyscrapers
電梯和摩天大樓
The other mile-high club
另一個(gè)高聳入云的俱樂(lè)部
A new lightweight lift cable will let buildings soar ever upward
一種新型的輕型升降梯將會(huì)讓建筑繼續(xù)向更高處發(fā)展
WHEN Elisha Otis stood on a platform at the 1854 World Fair in New York and ordered an axeman to cut the rope used to hoist him aloft, he changed cityscapes for ever.
當(dāng)艾利沙·奧的斯在1854年紐約世界博覽會(huì)上站在一個(gè)高樓的陽(yáng)臺(tái)下，命令一個(gè)持斧的人砍斷那個(gè)把他帶到高空的繩索時(shí)，他徹底改變了人們對(duì)城市景觀(guān)的印象。
To the amazement of the crowd his new safety lift dropped only a few inches before being held by an automatic braking system.
為了吸引人群的眼光，在新的自動(dòng)制動(dòng)系統(tǒng)起動(dòng)前，他只讓他的新安全電梯降落了幾英寸。
This gave people the confidence to use what Americans insist on calling elevators.
這讓人們?cè)谑褂秒娞輹r(shí)-美國(guó)人堅(jiān)持這個(gè)稱(chēng)呼有了足夠的信心，
That confidence allowed buildings to rise higher and higher.
也正是緣于這種信心，后來(lái)的建筑造得越來(lái)越高。
They could soon go higher still, as a result of another breakthrough in lift technology.
當(dāng)另一種升降技術(shù)取得突破后，很快，高樓大廈將會(huì)繼續(xù)往更高處發(fā)展。
This week Kone, a Finnish liftmaker, announced that after a decade of development at its laboratory in Lohja, which sits above a 333-metre-deep mineshaft which the firm uses as a test bed, it has devised a system that should be able to raise an elevator a kilometre or more.
本周，一家荷蘭的電梯制造者—通力聲稱(chēng)，該公司位于洛雅的實(shí)驗(yàn)室—該實(shí)驗(yàn)室坐落于一個(gè)333米深的，用于試驗(yàn)的礦井上方—經(jīng)過(guò)數(shù)十年的研究，開(kāi)發(fā)了一種可以讓電梯升高到一公里甚至更高的系統(tǒng)。
This is twice as far as the things can go at present.
這個(gè)高度是現(xiàn)在電梯可以達(dá)到高度的二倍。
Since the effectiveness of lifts is one of the main constraints on the height of buildings, Kone's technology—which replaces the steel cables from which lift cars are currently suspended with ones made of carbon fibres—could result in buildings truly worthy of the name “skyscraper”.
因?yàn)殡娞莞叨仁墙ㄖ锔叨鹊闹饕萍s因素之一，所以通力的技術(shù)—將以碳纖維取代目前技術(shù)中，讓升降車(chē)懸浮于半空的鋼索—會(huì)讓那些摩天大樓能夠真正配得上這個(gè)名字。
The problem with steel cables is that they are heavy.
鋼索的不足就是它們太重了。
Any given bit of rope has to pull up not only the car and the flexible travelling cables that take electricity and communications to it, but also all the rope beneath it.
任何指定的繩索除了要承載汽車(chē)和柔性移動(dòng)電纜—讓電力和通信可以和它連接起來(lái)的電纜—的重量，還要承擔(dān)它們下面所有繩索的重力。
The job is made easier by counterweights.
而這些如果借助平衡力的話(huà)會(huì)輕松得多。
But even so in a lift 500 metres tall steel ropes account for up to three-quarters of the moving mass of the machine.
但是，即使在一個(gè)500米高的電梯中，鋼索的重量也高達(dá)整個(gè)機(jī)械移動(dòng)重量的四分之三。
Shifting this mass takes energy, so taller lifts are more expensive to run.
而要移動(dòng)這個(gè)重量就很耗能，因此越高的電梯，它的運(yùn)行成本就越高。
And adding to the mass, by making the ropes longer, would soon come uncomfortably close to the point where the steel would snap under the load.
在繩索越來(lái)越長(zhǎng)的情況下，移動(dòng)的重量也會(huì)越來(lái)越大，這樣就會(huì)很快達(dá)到鋼索的承重極限，而這些會(huì)讓人們感到不安。
Kone says it is able to reduce the weight of lift ropes by around 90% with its carbon-fibre replacement, dubbed UltraRope.
通力表示，用碳纖維取代鋼索可以讓升降索的重量減少約90%，他們稱(chēng)之為“超級(jí)鋼絲繩”。
Roped together
牢牢捆在一起
Carbon fibres are both stronger and lighter than steel.
碳纖維繩索比鋼索更牢，卻更輕。
In particular, they have great tensile strength, meaning they are hard to break when their ends are pulled.
通常，它們的拉伸強(qiáng)度很高，就是說(shuō)當(dāng)用力拉它們的兩端時(shí)，它們很難會(huì)被拉斷。
That strength comes from the chemical bonds between carbon atoms: the same sort that give strength to diamonds.
這種強(qiáng)度來(lái)自于碳原子間的化學(xué)鍵：這也是金鋼石之所以堅(jiān)固的原因。
Kone embeds tubes made of carbon fibres in epoxy, and covers the result in a tough coating to resist wear and tear.
通力公司把碳纖維制成的管狀物嵌入環(huán)氧樹(shù)脂，再在外層涂上堅(jiān)固的涂層，以防止磨損。
According to Johannes de Jong, Kone's head of technology for large projects, the steel ropes in a 400-metre-high lift weigh about 18,650kg.
根據(jù)通力大型項(xiàng)目技術(shù)負(fù)責(zé)人約翰內(nèi)斯-德榮表示，一個(gè)400米高電梯的鋼索重量大約重18.65噸。
An UltraRope for such a lift would weigh 1,170kg.
而如果在同樣的電梯中，使用能夠達(dá)到相同有效高度的超級(jí)鋼絲繩，后者的重量將為1.17噸。
Altogether, the lift using the UltraRope would weigh 45% less than the one with the steel rope.
總之，一個(gè)電梯，如果使用超級(jí)鋼絲繩，那它的重量將比使用鋼索時(shí)減少45%。
Besides reducing power consumption, lighter ropes make braking a car easier should something go wrong.
除了能夠降低功效外，較輕的繩索能夠制動(dòng)一輛更容易會(huì)出事的汽車(chē)。
Carbon-fibre ropes should also, according to Mr de Jong, cut maintenance bills, because they will last twice as long as steel ones.
據(jù)德榮先生表示，碳纖維繩也應(yīng)該能夠減少維修費(fèi)用，因?yàn)樗鼈兊氖褂脡勖蠕撍鞲咭槐丁?/div>
Moreover, carbon fibre resonates at a different frequency to other building materials, which means it sways less as skyscrapers move in high winds—which is what tall buildings are designed to do.
此外，在一個(gè)不同的頻率上，碳纖維與其它建筑材料有著共振效應(yīng)，這就是說(shuō)，當(dāng)高樓在大風(fēng)中晃動(dòng)時(shí)，這個(gè)超級(jí)鋼絲繩的晃動(dòng)幅度不會(huì)那么大—而這就是高層建筑設(shè)計(jì)的初衷。
At the moment a high wind can cause a building's lifts to be shut down. Carbon-fibre ropes would mean that happened less often.
當(dāng)前，一場(chǎng)大風(fēng)會(huì)讓一幢建筑的電梯完全停工。但是碳纖維繩索的誕生表明這種現(xiàn)象不會(huì)頻頻出現(xiàn)了。
All of which is worthy and important. But what really excites architects and developers is the fact that carbon-fibre ropes will let buildings rise higher—a lot higher.
上述這些都很重要，而且是值得的。但是，真正刺激建筑師和開(kāi)發(fā)商的是，碳纖維繩索會(huì)讓建筑越來(lái)越高—比現(xiàn)在的高樓還要高很多。
Lighter, stronger ropes mean the main limiting factor in constructing higher skyscrapers would become the cost, says Antony Wood, an architect at the Illinois Institute of Technology, in Chicago.
伊利諾伊理工學(xué)院—位于美國(guó)芝加哥—的建筑師安東尼-伍德表示：更輕，更牢的繩索意味著，限制建造更高摩天大樓的主要問(wèn)題將會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)到成本上。
Dr Wood is also executive director of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which, among other things, lists the official heights of skyscrapers.
伍德博士也是高層建筑與城市人居理事會(huì)的執(zhí)行董事，該機(jī)構(gòu)在有關(guān)其它方面的記錄中，列出了官方規(guī)定的摩天大廈的高度。
At present the tallest is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which was completed in 2010 and, at 828 metres, shot past the previous record-holder, the 508-metre Taipei 101 tower.
目前為止，最高的高層建筑是迪拜的迪拜塔，完工于2010年，高達(dá)828米，完全超過(guò)了以前的最高建筑—位于臺(tái)北的，高達(dá)508米的101大樓。
The Mecca Royal Clock Tower in Saudi Arabia, completed in 2012, is now, at 601 metres, the second-tallest.
于2012年完工的麥家皇家鐘樓位于沙特阿拉伯，高達(dá)601米，現(xiàn)在是第二高建筑。
The Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan, built near the site of the World Trade Centre's twin towers that were destroyed by al-Qaeda in 2001, had its spire added in May to reach 541 metres.
曼哈頓下城的自由塔于今年三月加高了塔尖，已經(jīng)達(dá)到了541米，離它不遠(yuǎn)就是以前世貿(mào)中心的雙子塔，分別達(dá)到了417米和415米，
But work has now started on the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
但是在2001年被基地組織摧毀。
Its exact proposed height is still a secret, but it will be at least a kilometre.
沙特阿拉伯的吉達(dá)王國(guó)塔現(xiàn)正在建造中，建造計(jì)劃中的高度具體是多少還未公開(kāi)，但是估計(jì)至少為一公里。
With a big enough budget it would, says Dr Wood, now be possible to build a mile-high skyscraper.
伍德博士說(shuō)，它的建造成本將會(huì)是個(gè)龐大的數(shù)字，可能相當(dāng)于現(xiàn)在建造一英里高的摩天大樓的成本。
Even with carbon-fibre ropes few of such a building's lifts would go all the way from the entrance lobby to the observation deck.
即使使用碳纖維繩索，要直接從入口大廳乘電梯到觀(guān)景臺(tái)，就算在如此規(guī)模的高層建筑里也很少見(jiàn)。
Most would debouch into intermediate sky lobbies, where passengers could change lifts.
大部分都是涌進(jìn)中間的大廳，從那里乘客們?cè)贀Q乘電梯。
Such an arrangement is already familiar. Many skyscrapers are more like three-stage rockets, with different buildings stacked one on top of another—offices, a hotel and apartments.
類(lèi)似的安排人們?cè)缫呀?jīng)了解了。很多摩天大樓更像三級(jí)火箭，里面不同功用的建筑一個(gè)堆一個(gè)—辦公樓，酒店和公寓。
Sky lobbies mark the frontiers between these uses.
中間的大廳就是這些不同功用建筑的分界點(diǎn)。
But carbon-fibre ropes will allow each of these stages to be taller, too.
但是同樣，碳纖維索能讓這些不同功用的建筑越來(lái)越高。
The sky's the limit
天空不是無(wú)界的
Nor need carbon-fibre lift-cables be confined to buildings.
碳纖維電梯電纜并不局限于建筑的使用。
They could eventually make an idea from science fiction a reality too.
它們最終也會(huì)從科學(xué)幻想變成現(xiàn)實(shí)中存在的東西。
Space lifts, dreamed up in the late 1950s, are a way of getting into orbit without using a rocket.
人們?cè)诙兰o(jì)五十年代想象出來(lái)的太空電梯就是一個(gè)不需要火箭，就可以進(jìn)入軌道的設(shè)備。
Building one would mean lowering a cable from a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit above the Earth's equator while deploying a counterbalancing cable out into space.
建造這樣一個(gè)設(shè)備將意味著，會(huì)架設(shè)一條在地球同步軌道衛(wèi)星下方，地球赤道上方的電纜，同時(shí)還可以在太空中有效利用這個(gè)對(duì)重平衡電纜。
The cable from Earth to the satellite would not be a classic lift rope because it would not, itself, move.
從地球連接到衛(wèi)星的電纜將不會(huì)成為一個(gè)經(jīng)典的電梯電纜，因?yàn)樗旧韺⒉辉僖苿?dòng)。
But it would perform a similar function of support as robotic cars crawled up and down it, ferrying people and equipment to and from the satellite—whence they could depart into the cosmos.
但是，當(dāng)機(jī)器人汽車(chē)在它上面往返于地球與衛(wèi)星之間，運(yùn)送人們和設(shè)備時(shí)，它將執(zhí)行一個(gè)類(lèi)似的支持功能，同時(shí)人們從衛(wèi)星上可以出發(fā)遨游宇宙。
There are, of course, many obstacles to building such a lift.
當(dāng)然，建造這樣一種電梯還有很多問(wèn)題，
But the answer to one—finding a material that is light and strong enough for the cable—might just have emerged from that mineshaft in Finland.
但是，答案就是—尋找一個(gè)足夠透光性和牢固的材料來(lái)制作電纜—而這種材料可能剛好就產(chǎn)自于芬蘭的礦井。
