Overview
ISO 8103-9:2022, "Escalators and moving walks - Part 9: Measurement of ride quality", defines requirements and a standardized methodology for measuring and reporting the ride quality of escalators and moving walks. The standard covers measurement of relevant vibration (load-carrying unit and handrail) and sound pressure signals that relate to passenger perception. It does not set pass/fail ride quality thresholds - only how to measure and report them. ISO 8103-9:2022 replaces ISO 18738-2:2012 and promotes consistent, traceable measurements across the industry.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and intent: Provides a uniform approach to acquiring, processing and expressing vibration and noise signals so results correlate with human response and are traceable to national standards.
- Measuring instrumentation:
- Vibration: tri-axial acceleration transducers with data acquisition; characteristics and band‑limiting per ISO 8041; RMS time weighting 1 s; vector sum for load-carrying unit.
- Sound: A‑weighted sound pressure or sound intensity measurement; ride-quality sound requires Class 2 sound level meters (IEC 61672), emission sound measurements require Class 1 meters or Type 1 sound intensity (IEC 61043).
- Signal processing:
- Vibration data frequency-weighted per ISO 8041: whole‑body combined filter for load-carrying unit; hand‑arm filter for handrail.
- Sample rate must meet ISO 8041 requirements; acceleration expressed in m/s² (Gal) and velocity in m/s.
- Measurement procedure:
- General and special measuring conditions defined (load/no-load, measured speed vs nominal speed).
- Sound measurement intervals ≥ 15 s; typical resolution 0.7 dB; example measurement ranges shown (e.g., 35–90 dB A).
- Background noise and room reflections addressed via correction terms (K1A, K2A) and methods to estimate ride-quality corrected sound pressure (Annex A).
- Calibration and reporting: Calibration traceable to national standards; standardized reporting formats and required metadata for reproducibility.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 8103-9:2022 is used by:
- Escalator and moving walk manufacturers (product development, quality control)
- Test laboratories and acoustic/vibration consultants (on-site measurement and reporting)
- Building owners, facility managers and vertical-transportation engineers (acceptance testing, procurement specifications)
- Contract writers and compliance teams (specifying measurement methods in contracts)
Practical uses include benchmarking ride quality, troubleshooting vibration/noise complaints, validating design changes, and producing consistent test data for procurement and certification.
Related standards
Normative references and closely related documents:
- ISO 8041 - Human response to vibration (instrumentation)
- ISO 11201 / ISO 11205 - Machinery noise emission measurement methods
- IEC 61672-1 / -2 - Sound level meters
- IEC 61043 - Sound intensity instruments
Keywords: ISO 8103-9:2022, escalator ride quality, moving walk measurement, vibration measurement, sound pressure level, ride quality measurement.