Issue 4/2008


07/02/08

IZMIR – A trade fair in Turkey’s most modern and most westernized city

With three million residents, Izmir – located at the Gulf of Izmir on Turkey’s Aegean Coast – is the third largest city in the Republic of Turkey and the capital of a province of the same name. It overlooks one of the country’s busiest ports, second only to Istanbul. The city is deemed to be one of Turkey’s most modern.
Category: Issue 4/2008
Posted by: Editor

This is one of the world’s oldest settlements (with the earliest evidence dating back to 6500 to 4000 BC) and over the course of time was conquered and occupied by the Luwians, Hittites, Phrygians and the Greeks. Ancient writings refer to the city by the name of Smyrna.

Smyrna was an important crossroads for traders and merchants during the Seljuq period and the Ottoman Empire and the most important trading center in Asia Minor . Since the Christians formed the majority in Smyrna during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the Turks called the city Gavur Izmir (heretical Izmir) because of its Christian fl air. Its population was made up of Orthodox Christians (Greeks), Armenians , Turks, Jews and Catholic Christians from the Occident. Each of these groups populated its own quarter in the city.
Today’s center – with the city administration (Belediye) and the seat of the provincial governor (Valilik) – is located in Konak. To be found in neighboring Alsancak is the main business and shopping district. Karsıyaka, Bornova, Hatay, Buca and Göztepe are the largest residential areas.
The province generates 4.6 % of the country’s agricultural output and 9 % of overall industrial activity. The local economy comprises industry (30.5 %), trading (22.9 %), transport and telecommunications (13.5 %) and agriculture (7.8 %). The city’s leading export goods are petroleum products and chemicals, metals, textiles , motor vehicles, foodstuffs (fi gs, grapes, olives and olive oil), “Efes” brand beer, tobacco and wool.
The entertainment and shopping complexes are situated mainly in Konak, Karsıyaka and Bornova while industry is concentrated in Bornova, Çigli and Gaziemir. Covering about 46 hectares in the northeastern section of Izmir is the “Culture Park” with its zoo, open-air theater and fairgrounds.
In terms of culture, Izmir is deemed to be the most modern and westernized city in Turkey. It is home to four universities and a technology institute.
Considered to be the city’s landmarks and symbols are the Saat Kulesi (clock tower) on Konak Square and the Atatürk Memorial on Cumhuriyet Plaza (Republic Square).
The city hosted the sixth INELEX elevator and technology fair, which took place at the new fairgrounds from May 23 to 25, 2008. The fair was flanked by a symposium on elevators. The main event was coordinated by the EFOR Fair Organization while the symposium was arranged by the TMMOB – the federation of the architects’ and engineers’ associations in Turkey.
IZMIR – A trade fair in Turkey’s most modern and most westernized city
The new exposition complex covers 55,000 square meters and offers facilities for indoor and outdoor displays. The four modern exhibit halls provide 23,750 square meters of floor space and are equipped with climate control equipment meeting international standards. The Adnan Menderes Airport is just 15 minutes away by taxi and the nearby center city is easy to reach.
The following personalities took part in the opening ceremonies for the fair and the symposium: TMMOB President Mehmet Sogancı; Emin Koramaz, Chairman of the Association of Mechanical Engineers; Musa Çeçen, Chairman of the Association of Electrical Engineers; Nuray Eyigele, General Director of the EFOR Fair Organization; Cevat Durak, Mayor of Kar¸siyaka; Oguz Yanık, President of the EAYSAD; Mehmet Özsakarya , Chairman of the MMO branch in Izmir; Sedat Gülsen, Director of the EMO branch in Izmir; and Akın Kazançoglu, Vice-President of the Izmir Chamber of Commerce.
Sedat Gülsen opened the trade fair with the following words:
“During the three days of the elevator symposium we will turn our attention to the topics of lifts and escalators from both the technological and the administrative viewpoints. It would be difficult to imagine cities without such devices, given the rapid urbanization and the increasing heights of the structures in our cities. The elevator and escalator industry will have to embrace scientific and technical advances and translate them into reality in order to keep up with the pace of development. Over and above that, qualified personnel will be needed to improve the quality of the products and services offered in this sector. The deployment of highly skilled labor in the industry to boost efficiency and to apply and promote technology is of the greatest significance.”
The General Director of the EFOR Fair Organization , Nuray Eyigele, was pleased to have been able, for the sixth time now, to bring together the major operatives in the elevator industry. The trade fair reflects the state of the art in the domestic market. In 2006 there were 83 exhibitors on hand and this year that figure had already risen to 102. Eyigele mentioned that participation by the EMO and MMO associations with their symposium had increased the fair’s drawing power even further and enriched the event.
As was just mentioned, the fair, which was held in Hall 2, had 102 exhibitors, including those who joined other exhibitors at their booths. Almost all were Turkish companies and some of the Turkish exhibitors represented foreign fi rms. The FUPA Asansör company, for instance, is the representative of Henning, Fermator, Monteferro, Gustav Wolf and Dätwyler. Toward midday there were large crowds in the hall, due in part to the fact that at that time of day the symposium’s participants joined other trade visitors in the exhibit hall.
The fair’s doors were open from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. while the symposium started at 9:30 a.m. and ended at 6:00 p.m.
34 speeches were delivered at the symposium. With the exception of three addresses presented by international guest lecturers, all the speeches were in Turkish, with simultaneous translation into English. Among the topics covered were:
  • “The new view (approximation) in strength calculations for elevator car frames”, discussed by Prof. Ali Fethi Okyar of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Yeditepe University, Kayisdagi Istanbul . A new calculation method was used in this discussion – carried out on behalf of an elevator manufacturer. The effects of the forces and torques on the stressed components were not observed independent of other components; instead, the deformations at the joining points throughout the frame were included in the calculations. The results with this method were compared with those of standardized calculation procedures and evaluated.
  • “Friction safeties for elevators and associated engineering problems” were covered by Prof. Fatih C. Babalik and Prof. Kadir Cavdar of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Uludag University in Bursa. Friction safeties are very important components particularly in high-speed elevators. The importance of friction safeties rises in parallel to the increase in the travel speeds for the elevators  installed in Turkey. This lecture began with a brief description of the friction safety, which was followed by a design example and by a discussion of the calculation methods and analyses.
  • “Analysis of a car frame during impact with the floor of the hoistway”, by Prof. Zeki Kiral and Prof. Binnur Kiral-Dokuz, Mechanical Engineering Department, Eylül University at Izmir. This discussion examined the dynamic behavior of the car’s frame as it impacted the fl oor of the pit. The frame used here was simulated in a test elevator. The safeties’ failing to respond in the case of rope failure or overspeeding is most certainly the worst case. In this analysis the dynamic deformations and strains after the moment of impact were calculated in 200 microseconds using the COSMOSWorks Program. The analyses include elastic and elastic/plastic properties of the materials employed. The deformation and strain values increased with increasing fall height.
  • “Energy consumption in elevators when not in use” was discussed by Dr. K. Ferhat Çelik on behalf of Blain Hydraulics, Heilbronn. Uncontrolled energy consumption and the associated excessive CO2 emissions are to an ever increasing extent the causes for global warming and environmental pollution. This makes it necessary to optimize energy utilization in elevators. From 4 to 10 per cent of a building’s overall energy consumption is due to elevators. That has prompted the development of energy-saving technologies in this industry, too. But it remains true that for most passenger elevators (particularly in residential buildings) the idling times are far longer than the travel periods. That is what makes it so important to calculate energy consumption in the stand-by phases, as well. To this must be added the costs for maintenance and repair , expressed as energy units, ultimately giving the real total energy consumption. When selecting the energysaving systems, the amortization period is an important criterion. In this study the drives for traction and hydraulic elevators were evaluated from a different perspective, taking account of standby time as a factor in energy consumption and in maintenance and repair costs.
  • “Efficiency in hydraulic lifts, heat generation, proposals for improvements and energy-saving hydraulic systems” were discussed by mechanical engineer Turhan Altinörs of Bucher Hydraulics in Istanbul. The hydraulic elevator is surely one of the best examples in the field of physics where the results of the calculations alone are not conclusive. Such findings will, without fail, have to be backed up by inspections, testing and laboratory data. This investigation took a close look at the creation of heat in the hydraulic system, which often causes operational problems. In addition, mention was made of simple methods that can contribute to reducing heat generation. Finally, attention was directed toward frequency-controlled hydraulic drives with which not only heat and operational interruptions can be avoided, but considerable energy savings can also be achieved.
The guest speakers were Lazaros Asvestopoulos from the Kleemann office in Greece, Stefan Durholt from Henning GmbH in Germany and Frieder Wolfgang Helbing of the TÜV-Rheinland inspection authority.
All in all it was a thoroughly successful event that will most certainly merit a repeat visit two years from now.
4/2008

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