List of roller coaster elements
s are widely known for their drops, inversions, airtime, and other intense ride elements that contribute to the ride. They are also made up of a variety of features and components responsible for the mechanical operation and safety of the ride. Some are very common and appear on every roller coaster in some form, while others are unique to certain makes and models. Amusement parks often compete to build the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coasters to attract thrill seekers and boost park attendance. As coaster design evolved with the aid of computer-simulated models, newer innovations produced more intense thrills while improving overall quality and durability.
Common elements
Banked turn
A banked turn is when the track twists from the horizontal plane into the vertical plane, tipping the train to the side in the direction of the turn. Banking is used to minimize the lateral G-forces on the riders to make the turn more comfortable. When a banked turn continues to create an upward or downward spiral of approximately 360 degrees or more, it becomes a [|helix].Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track that utilizes some form of brakes to slow or stop a roller coaster train. The most common type is the friction brake, often called a fin brake, which involves a series of hydraulic-powered clamps that close and squeeze metal fins that are attached to the underside of a coaster train. Other common types include skid brakes and magnetic brakes. These different types are divided into two main categories; trim brakes refer to brake runs that slow the train, while block brakes are brake sections that stop the train completely. Roller coasters may incorporate multiple brake runs throughout the coaster's track layout to adjust the train's speed at any given time.While modern roller coasters have at least one computer-controlled brake run embedded in the track, older coasters such as The Great Scenic Railway at Luna Park Melbourne may have brakes onboard the train and rely on a brakeman operator to apply them as needed. Older wooden coasters are also more likely to rely on skid brakes, which may still depend on manual engagement at a nearby control panel or by moving large levers in the station.
Drive tire
A drive tire, or squeeze tire depending on its usage, is a motorized tire used to propel a roller coaster train along a piece of track. Although they are most often used in station areas and brake runs, they can also be used to launch trains at greater speeds. However, they are generally used to propel the train at speeds between 5-8 mph. The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure is notable for using drive tires to launch the train up an incline.Some roller coasters use drive tires instead of a chain on lift hills. Notable examples include many junior coasters made by Vekoma and Zierer, The Olympia Looping traveling roller coaster, and Mindbender at Galaxyland. Drive tires are also used to power other types of amusement rides, such as ferris wheels, Pirate Ships, and other spinning rides.
When oriented horizontally, drive tires are often put in pairs so as to "squeeze" a portion of the train as it crosses that section of track. In this case, it is usually the brake fin that is used to propel or slow the train with the tires. When oriented vertically, they contact the underside of the train as it crosses a particular section of track. This underside area is a flat area which often has a grated metal surface to increase friction between the car and the tire. One disadvantage of vertical drive tires is that rainy weather can greatly reduce friction between the tire and the train, possibly causing the train to slightly overshoot its intended position and cause an emergency stop.
Headchopper
A headchopper is an element where the support structure of the ride or a portion of the track appears to come very close to making contact with passengers, particularly with their heads. The illusion is intentional, and headchoppers are designed so that even the tallest rider, with both hands up, would be unable to make contact assuming rider height requirements are being met. Headchoppers were originally common elements on wooden coasters but have since become increasingly more common on steel coasters as well.On inverted roller coasters, the equivalent is a foot chopper, which creates the illusion that riders' legs will make contact with the ride's support structure or some other structure, similar to a headchopper. Dragon Challenge at Islands of Adventure featured several foot choppers, and it is a common element on Vekoma's Suspended Looping Coaster model during the coaster's in-line-twist, in which the train approaches a section of track directly below but twists riders safely over the track.
Both headchoppers and foot choppers can appear on Wing Coaster models from Bolliger & Mabillard when the train passes through keyhole elements. The train seats riders in pairs on both sides of the track, with nothing above or below each rider, as it passes through the center of an object creating the illusion its passengers may not have enough clearance to fit.
Helix
A helix is a section of track that forms a spiral, which generally exceeds 360°. Helixes can spiral upward or downward.Launch track
A launch track is a straight section of track along a launched roller coaster layout in which the train is quickly accelerated to a significant velocity in a matter of seconds. It serves the same basic purpose as a lift hill—providing energy to the train—but does so in a different manner. A lift hill gives the train potential energy as it is slowly raised to the highest point of the lift hill and released. A launch track gives the train kinetic energy immediately during its quick acceleration at launch, which often occurs before the train enters its first significant incline.A launch track normally includes some form of brakes to brace for an expected return of the train, such as in a shuttle roller coaster design, or for an unexpected return of the train when a rollback occurs on a complete-circuit coaster. Rollbacks are more common on coasters that feature a top hat element, such as Stealth at Thorpe Park, and Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point. Typically, brakes on a launch track retract to a lower position during launch and move into an engaged position immediately after launch.
Lift hill
A lift hill, or chain lift, is often the initial upward section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point. Upon reaching the top, the train is then disengaged from the lift hill and allowed to coast through the rest of the roller coaster's circuit.Lift hills usually propel the train to the top of the ride via one of a few different types of methods: a chain lift involving a long, continuous chain which trains hook on to and are carried to the top; a drive tire system in which multiple motorized tires push the train upward; a cable lift system as seen on Millennium Force at Cedar Point; or a linear synchronous motor system as seen on Maverick.
Launch lift hills are similar to launch tracks, but inclined rather than flat. Sometimes, launch lift hills serve the same purpose as lift hills but offer faster transport to the top of the lift hill; or they are sometimes used to power the train up into an element, like the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal Orlando. Launch lift hills use mostly linear synchronous motors or linear induction motors but sometimes use drive tires.
Linear induction motor
The linear induction motor is a simple but powerful type of electric motor used to propel the cars. Rather than using a standard enclosed spinning rotor and drive wheels, there is a long flat magnetic pole plate with closely spaced electric coils. This pole plate mounts on the track underneath the car and a matching metal plate attached to the car moves across the magnetic pole faces. By applying a multiphase alternating current to the poles, the pole plate induces eddy currents into the moving plate and can be used to accelerate or brake the car.Compared to other drive mechanisms, the linear motor is typically maintenance-free. The pole faces on the track and moving plate attached to the car do not need to touch, and the gap between them can be quite wide to accommodate any side-to-side car motion, so there is no friction or wear between them. Further, the magnetic coil assembly on the driving pole plates are either potted or sealed in a weathertight enclosure, so that rain, vibration, and dust do not affect motor performance or cause drive motor slippage.