Load-bearing component, elevator and method

An elevator comprising:

• an elevator car;
• at least one first guide assembly provided with first vertical guide rails mountable to an elevator shaft and first guide shoes mountable to a car assembly, and wherein the guide shoes are supportable against the first guide rails;
• hoisting machinery for moving the elevator car vertically inside the elevator shaft;
• and
• at least one strain gauge configured to monitor at least one load-bearing component of the elevator;
• wherein the at least one strain gauge is configured to sense strain on the component, and
• wherein the at least one strain gauge is a printed strain gauge.

A method of monitoring operation of an elevator, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing at least one load-bearing component of the elevator with at least one strain gauge;
• and
• producing sensing data by the at least one strain gauge and transmitting the sensing data to at least one control unit for further processing,
• the step of providing the at least one load-bearing component with at least one strain gauge further comprises the step of providing the at least one load-bearing component with at least one printed strain gauge.