This story has been updated for the July/August 2016 Top Webex issue.
Manufacturer combines specialty steels and ingenuity to unleash the world’s first free-spin roller coaster
May 2015 - “Holy adrenaline!” The catchphrase frequently uttered by Burt Ward as Robin in the 1960s TV series “Batman” seems appropriate as Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, prepares to unveil Batman: The Ride, on Memorial Day.
It’s the world’s first 4-D free-spin roller coaster designed and manufactured by S&S Worldwide Inc. of Logan, Utah. The manufacturer of vertical and family thrill rides based its design on technology borrowed from older “brother” X2 4th Dimension, at Six Flags Magic Mountain, with a few new twists.
A typical roller coaster operates in three dimensions, explains S&S Senior Project Manager Preston Perkes. “The free spin upgrades the ride to 4-D, which allows the seats to freely spin forward and backward using gravity and the weight distribution of each passenger seat.”
S&S also employs a mature technology in a new way to help control the ride. “On most coasters, magnets are used to produce eddy currents in the braking fins to deliver a smooth, comfortable stop,” Perkes says. “We worked with our supplier to use an eddy current system in a new and innovative configuration to help force or retard spins.”
The prototype
The S&S engineering team specified high-strength steel for the ride, the majority of which was heat treated. “When you are in the business of transporting people, your design has to be sound and that means using high-strength materials particularly for the passenger cars,” says Perkes.
S&S spent considerable time prototyping and testing its free spin design concept. “This ride had never been built before,” he explains. “Anytime you fabricate something for the first time it’s not uncommon for the manufactured components to behave in ways the design didn’t intend. Our decision to test the concept allowed us to make key adjustments to the design, manufacture new components and successfully test the ride to prove the concept.”
Featuring a 12-story lift, six full inversions and two 90-degree-plus drops, the ride has a compact footprint yet reaches a top speed of 40 mph over 1,000 ft. of track constructed to move back and forth like a vintage foosball game. Beyond-vertical drops have been done before, Perkes says. “but this coaster’s drops occur faster than other rides due to passengers riding in cars located on the sides of the track instead of under or on top of the track.
“We also fabricated the ride’s structure with a visual design that is different from other rides,” he adds. “Ride structures are usually vertical, but our ride has members that form two Ws. The arrangement leans out to each side reaching the outermost sections of track for a very unique look.”
S&S hired Rocky Mountain Construction to fabricate the track. The Hayden, Idaho, company used its patented technology calling for steel plates to be cut and welded together, producing a square or box track versus the standard round pipe used to form most track rails. “This type of track was especially suited to the Batman roller-coaster because the ride doesn’t have any left or right turns,” Perkes says.
Launch sequence
Fabrication of the track, structure and mechanical ride components was completed in December 2014. Passenger vehicle fabrication was completed March 2015. Ride components totaled 165,000 with approximately 95,000 fasteners. Perkes estimates that the structure weighs in at 275 tons.
Once thrill seekers are securely fastened in, passengers will ascend a 120-ft.-tall vertical lift and end the ride with a final forward flip. Based on rider feedback, Fiesta Texas can increase or decrease the amount of spinning by adjusting the coaster’s kickers, Perkes says. One wonders whether some riders might not also request their own Bat-signal. Just in case they’ve misplaced their courage. FFJ
