Millions
of people ride roller coasters every year. Out of those millions, many wonder
how exactly roller coasters work. There are few people who really do know all
the technical aspects that go into creating a roller coaster and getting a
roller coaster to run properly. For those of you, who are interested in
learning just how roller coasters work, then look no further!
First,
let’s take a look at some roller coaster history. Roller coasters go back to
the 1400’s when sledding was like a simulation roller coaster. The interest
continued to grow till 1804 with the first wheeled coaster in Paris. Later,
roller coasters were used in mines to move coal and people. The first real
coaster in the United States was at Coney Island in 1884. The second coaster
was constructed immediately after that and hit a top speed of 12mph. Compare
this to the current fastest coaster at 141 mph. By the end of the 1920s there
were 1,500 wooden coasters in the United States. As time progressed, the coaters got taller,
faster, more interesting, and more expensive. So how are these coasters
designed?
Before
a coaster is even close to being built, there are lots and lots of designs and
calculations that need to be made before the coaster is finalized. Coasters
aren’t all fun. There is lots of boring physics that need to happen before any
of the real fun can begin. Thanks to coaster101.com, we learn all that is
calculated: mass of train, lift incline length, force required to pull the train
up the lift, time required to reach the top of the lift, maximum speed of
train, and radius of the bottom of the first drop g-forces. Remember that when the train goes up a hill it
is potential energy. When it goes downhill it uses kinetic energy.
Once
all the physics ae figured out, designers go and design the ride based on the
physic calculations. There are lots of different types of roller coasters,
engineers can design. Options range from wood to steel to hybrid to giga
coasters, etc. Most times the parks tell the designing team what kind of
coaster they want to purchase. They also tell them location, requested height,
length, etc.
Let’s
skip far ahead to after the coaster has been built. Let’s talk about how the
coaster works. Different types of coasters work differently than others. So let’s
go through each:
·
Chain lift- The simplest of all coasters and
most popular. It involves a chain, gears, and a motor. The motor turns the
gears which pulls the chain. The coaster car then hooks onto the chain and gets
pulled up the hill. Simple as that.
·
Launch coaster- These can come in three
different ways. The most basic is using a chain that catapults the train car.
The second is magnets that pull the train really fast. Thirdly is wheels that
push the train.
Brakes are also
an important to a roller coaster. Without brakes, there would be no coaster
since the trains would collide every time.
Coasters use brake clamps to slow down the coaster and hold it into
place to go to a complete stop. Coasters can also use magnetic brakes which
naturally slow the coaster down. This system is more reliable because the
magnets will never fail. If on the other system there was an error, there is
back-up brakes in place to stop that train from causing any issues.
So how does the
roller coaster trains stay on the tracks and doesn’t just fall off? Well,
that’s because there are large amounts of wheels surrounding the whole entire
track. Ever feel like you’re about to fly off a wooden coaster? Well, there are
wheels there too. You’re not going to fly off the ride, you are just
experiencing airtime. Airtime was put there for a reason, for you to feel that
way about coming out of your seat.
To build a
roller coaster, it is going to cost millions. Supplies, labor, and design are
all things that impact the cost of one. As for supplies, when building a steel
coaster, there a millions of rivets throughout the coaster. In wood coasters
there are millions of screws and bolts. Other raw materials include paint,
concrete, steel, etc. An example is American Eagle at Six Flags Great America.
American Eagle required 2,000 concrete foundations, 1.6 million feet of wood,
30,600 pounds of nails, 60,720 bolts, and 9,000 gallons of paint. That is unbelievable!
The first step
in building the roller coaster is to prepare the site. Remove anything that is
in the way of construction of the coaster. Then you pour concrete and begin erecting
the main support structures. Then they
put the lower supports into place. After all the supports have been added it is
time to put the track on. This part is tricky since the track has to be laid
perfectly in order for the train to smoothly ride the track. Next is to put the
train on. The train is fabricated in a factory and brought to the roller coaster
site. Finally, wiring, walkways, and
handrails are completed until the ride is finally finished.
Weeks of test
runs are done to make sure the train and track are working flawlessly together.
G-force testing is a big thing that happens so the ride doesn’t hurt you when you’re
riding it. G-force dummies are used to replicate a human being riding the ride.
Then after numerous tests, experts can ride the ride to see what their
experience on the ride is. Getting to test roller coasters for living sounds
like the best job in the world!
In conclusion, building
a roller coaster is an engineering feat. It takes months to design and build a
roller coaster. Physics, designing, and construction are the three main difficulties
of building a coaster. Things have definitely changed since the first U.S.
coaster in 1884.The second U.S. coaster had a top speed of 12mph. Today,
coaster designers are making world record breaking coasters every year. Who knows, in the next 50 years, roller
coasters could be hovering or even flying!?
Information
found at coaster101.com and madehow.com.
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