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sob and the wind


TheRickster
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I think the supporting structure is wide enough, with the sloping shape and all,when you get twords the base that you really dont have to worry about the wind effecting it much at all. I would guess with the wood having plenty of space to letthe wind blow through, not enough wind catches the structure to have a big effect anyway. I bet the thing is almost as wide as it is tall though But maybe not.

Edited by nightrider19
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The designer or SoB designed it to sway not only in the wind but when people are on the ride too. If it didn't the ride would fall apart. The wind wouldn't make the big of a differance on SoB during a windy time becuae a lot of the eind can go stright thought the structure, but wind does make it sway a bit during a good gust. If you are ever at PKI stand right in front of the bathrooms outside the enterance of SoB queue and watch the top of the hill when a train passes. The whole top section actually sways out about a foot, but since they slowed something down (whether its the trains, chain or maybe it just seems slower because i have ridden it so many times, i dunno, but the slowed something down, maybe some one else knows) But my dad( a strutural engineer) and I were standing there watching it while my brother went to use the restroom and it visibly moves out! Try it some time, its pretty cool!

I bet wind had to be a HUGE facture when building a structure that tall becuase of all of the latural stresses put on it during high winds. If SoB was a steel coaster then it wouldn't be that much of a problem. So yes wind does make some differance in the way SoB reacts. Let's just sa i don't think it's going anywhere unlike the PKI sign! LoL!

Comment if you wish!

biggrin.gif

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LoL ,of course TOO much swaying is bad, but some SoB is PRETTY strong by just looking at it. I don't think the designers just threw some boards together and hoped it stayed up, they took their time and put eveerything together right so it can withstand the elements. Tough a ton of sway is not bad but some sway actually help the ride stay up. Again I'M starting to refer to the swaying that SoB does when a train crests the top of the lift hill heading towards the drop. Even if somthing awful did happen to SoB PKI has insurance to back up the reconstuction process, unless the entire structure came down, (not very likely, unless one huge earthquake hit!) So I don't think SoB is going anywhere and time soon! Let's hope it stays that way! SoB rules! biggrin.gif

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Not that I can remember. I have been to PKI on some very windy days, and can remember all the big rides being open.

In talk of swaying in the wind, anyone that has been to PKI has surely seen this in one fashion or anther. If you look at the ride supports for any of the coasters when the trains are on that section of track, you can easily see the steel/wood vibrate from the train. this is in the same method as the coaster swaying. things on these tracks are made to bend and flex somewhat, as well as contract and expand with the temperatures. If they didn't, things would be breaking all the time.

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The main reason why rides, mainly rollercoasters, close in windy conditions is because of rollbacks. PKI is unique where the park is set in a highly wooded area, which decreases wind speed, as opposed to parks that are very wide open like CP. If CP gets strong winds coming off Lake Erie; Raptor will definatly close, Magnum, Millenium Force and Mean Streak may close.

I think that only Vortex could roll back due to windy conditions, but that would also be an extremely windy condition. The Beast is in a highly wooded area, and Top Gun is in a valley for the most part so I doubt either of those would roll back. SoB could roll back where the trains are coming back up the incline from the helixes, but that again would be a very windy condition.

Perhaps any PKI workers could clue us in if and when roll backs have happened.

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We would if in our contract wasnt a confidentiality clause.

If the winds are strong enough, Im sure that SOB would close. Its really not just how strong the wind is, but what direction. If its blowing through the station, sideways to the entrance to the helixes, it would be fine.

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SOB sways all the time. Wait in line for the front seat and watch it go around that last helix. As for the high wind issue...Without a storm the winds in the park don't usually go past 30 on a windy day and SOB can operate in that. Anything higher than that tends to have some lightning and rain with it. Which, of course, closes the rides down anyways.

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pkicoasterfreek, i'll agree with your first post about the high winds and how SOB was made to sway in the wind. i almost find it humorous to watch the trains go up the second hill (after the main drop) and see the whole support structure sway outwards. of course if this sway didn't occur, then the whole structure would be under sooo much stress, the wood would either shatter (yes shatter) or split and crack on the first run. not the second, not the third, the first. the sway is essential.

when minoru yamasaki designed the twin towers in new york, he, along with the engineers he worked with, made sure the towers would sway in the wind. if they didn't the concrete facade and structure would crack and fall apart. this would leave the steel skeleton of the building standing.

SOB swaying in the wind would make sense to me, at least. the other factor is the surface area that covers the structure. there is none. this also allows the wind to blow right through the support structure. one would need some good winds to blow the structure right over. the center of gravity is so low, it would fall apart rather than blowing over anyways.

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With this topic comes an interesting point. What is the difference between a rollback and when a coaster valleys? Are the two terms interchangeable, or is there a significant difference? They both sound the same whether there is wind or not, when the coaster encounters some sort of resistance, and does not make it, all the way through its complete circuit.

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Yes, a valley and a rollback are the same thing, with a few exceptions. For instance, Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point can have a rollback, but is not considered a valley due to the design of the ride. ( One big hill in a continuous loop ) Generally though, a rollback would denote a valley. Unless, of course, the laws of physics decide to change, but I think that would be a little more serious than a roller coaster... tongue.gif

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Being an employee who has worked on SOB for the last 2

seasons, I will shed some light on rollbacks. I've never

ever ever ever heard of a roller coaster rolling back at PKI, and it

DEFINITLEY has NEVER happened on SOB. Simply not possible. In another note, everyone is right by saying that coasters are built to

sway...just the same as tall buildings. Both are designed to

move...and boy do they.

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Being an employee who has worked on SOB for the last 2

seasons, I will shed some light on rollbacks. I've never

ever ever ever heard of a roller coaster rolling back at PKI, and it

DEFINITLEY has NEVER happened on SOB. Simply not possible. In another note, everyone is right by saying that coasters are built to

sway...just the same as tall buildings. Both are designed to

move...and boy do they.

i would have to agree with boobkinos on this one i just dont think its possible for for a rollback

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Okay, there is perfect evedience in front of everyone!

Next time your at PKI ride SoB and look at ALL of the helixs and turn arounds. Look and tell me what you find on helix. Yep, there are cable attached to the stucture to keep it from moving away when the train passes. The cable go from the center of the helix on the ground to the wooden structure around it to help control the massive amounts of stress the train puts on it. There fore the structure must move becuase they just wouldn't put them there for decoration!! LOL and if they weren't there the track and surrounding structure would crumble and fall over, so good thing they have them!!

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^ agreed ^ some coasters just are designed perfectly. (scientificly wise anyway)

Not true -- things are not impossible, but improbable in science, and nothing's ever perfect.

The designers of the rides attempt to account for every possible scenario which they can think of in order to keep the train moving, but it's impossible to think of all of them. Apparently, the biggest problem with a train valleying is either changing the compound of the polyurethane wheels, or not correctly lubricating the axles.

Now, I don't know if SOB has polyurethane wheels, or what kind of lubrication they use, so that's still up in the air. In conclusion, is it possible for SOB to valley? Yes, it definately is. Is it likely? Definately not.

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