Elevator Sheave Assembly

An elevator system, comprising:

• an elevator shaft having a support frame,
• an elevator car movable along a vertical travel path defined by the elevator shaft;
• a motor arrangement comprising at least one drive sheave rotatable via the motor arrangement;
• at least one elevator sheave assembly connected one of the elevator car and the support frame, the at least one elevator sheave assembly comprising:
• a shaft having a longitudinal axis;
• and
• a plurality of sheave subassemblies independently rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the shaft, each of the plurality of sheave subassemblies comprising:
• a sheave having a running surface;
• and
• at least one bearing rotatably connecting the sheave to the shaft;
• and
• a bearing spacer arranged between adjacent sheave subassemblies of the plurality of sheave subassemblies on the shaft to isolate rotation of the adjacent sheave subassemblies relative to one another,
• wherein each of the plurality of sheave subassemblies is independently rotatable relative to the other sheave subassemblies;
• and
• a plurality of tension members each in frictional tractive engagement with at least one drive sheave of the motor arrangement and the sheave of one of the plurality of sheave subassemblies of the elevator sheave assembly, and
• wherein the at least one elevator sheave assembly permits each tension member engaged with the at least one elevator sheave assembly to move at a different speed relative to the other tension members associated with the at least one elevator sheave assembly.