Weatherproof?

I heard once that there was a tornado at CP. What if another one came and it gets close to Top Thrill? Do they test the structures of rollerocoasters to handle such weather?

And how would Wicked Twister handle tornados? The tower on WT looks very unsecure.

I think the tornado you are reffering to is the water spout that happened i think maybe 2/3 years ago? correct me if im wrong. it was spotted out on the lake and they made everyone run to the main arcade. I was there the day it happened, and i have to say i have never seen a more chaotic mob of people anywhere else. It really didnt even come close the the park though. It was alot of fun to see the employees try to save themselves before everyone else though.

As far as the weather saftey of the rides, I'm pretty sure that they test all of that stuff and anchor it to the ground enough that it will take some force to get it out. but i dont know much about that kind of stuff

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blasting off in 104 days...........

dont bother

The towers on WT are VERY secure.

It may not look like it, but that is the safest possible design for such a ride. If they were to build supports all the way up to the top of the spikes, the spikes would snap after enough force was applied to it. Just have faith in the engineers at Intamin. There is nothing you can say to make you believe that seeing those towers sway in the wind is safe, but it is actually THE SINGLE SAFEST DESIGN.

There was a water spout several years ago out on the bay. It did not hit the mainland.

There was a tornado back in the 70's. It hit CP and actually cleared some of the trees that used to be in the area where Gemini now is. Lucky, the tornado was in 1977. Guess what was built in the off season and put in that exact place for 1978? Yep..

Gemini..

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June 11th, 2001 - Gemini 100
VertiGo Rides - 82
Technical Services 2002
Fright Zone Screamster 2002

So I guess tornados are a good way to clear up land. It doesn't cost any money and its quick.

I definately trust those guys at Intamin. I know that snap theory on WT. But I'm just worried if anything will bend.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Wildcat flying around in a circle, lol..

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Aww.....Florida! But That's America's Wang

Certain extremes of weather are taken into account when a structure is being designed. A gust factor is calculated, based on the size of the structure, it's shape, location, and terrain. Obviously, a large flat building will need to be stronger than a triangular lattice structure such as that of Top Thrill Dragster. Generally, the annual extreme of a 50-year interval is used as possible max. Building codes also denote what wind resistance a structure must have. Those can differ varying on it's importance factor. This is all right out of one of my textbooks, the class being Design of Steel Structures.

Draken LC, I'm a little confused as to what you're talking about. How do you figure that adding supports all the way to the top of the spikes on Wicked Twister would cause it to snap? Had they made the A-frames large enough to reach the top, it'd be just as secure. It'd just cost more. If you can build it for a million less and still have it be just as safe, why not? Plus, it adds more to the visual impact of the ride. Providing a safe structure at a decent economy is a main part of structural engineering.

I don't know much actualy data about either structure, so I can't say how they'd perform is really strong winds. Say, those of an F3 tornado, which is somewhere around 150 mph I believe.

But you'd be surprised how strong simple triangles can be. For example, we're working on a bridge design that is made out of a triangular truss, much like those you see supporting the roofs of many buildings. It only weighs 85 lbs, but it supports 2500 lbs while only deflecting (bending downwards) 0.83 inches.

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VertiGo rides: 32
2002 Raptor Crew
"Hey, Cool. My voice is on the lift"

Millennium Force boasts to be able to withstand hurricane level winds. With Dragster's tower supports being 5 feet wide, I wouldn't think that its tolerances would be any less strong.

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What is most anticipated event of 2003? the debut of Dragster, the release of Metallica's new album, the release of Terminator 3, or the release of Matrix:Reloaded...tough call.

I'd agree, CP Bound, Dragster isn't going anywhere. Combine the HUGE support columns with the fact that it's one huge triangular prism (remember, triangles are the strongest shapes) and you've got something that's not going to move for anything. Unless there's a hurricane that's strong enough to chuck a barge at the thing...

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- John
Support Rob in theGreat DDR Challenge!

The towers on WT are designed to wobble. If the tower were stiff, it would snap. The wobbling acts kind of like a shock absorber. Think of it like this: If a wooden stick was being pushed by an outside force, and the stick was wobbly, it would absorb the force and wobble back and forth. If it was stiff, then it can't absorb enough force and it would snap.

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CP_bound said:
Millennium Force boasts to be able to withstand hurricane level winds. With Dragster's tower supports being 5 feet wide, I wouldn't think that its tolerances would be any less strong.

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What is most anticipated event of 2003? the debut of Dragster, the release of Metallica's new album, the release of Terminator 3, or the release of Matrix:Reloaded...tough call.

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Cp_Bound....Even if the MF could withstand Hurricane force winds...I could not withstand the power of a tornado. A good F3 to F5 Tornado would knock everything that comes in its path...Or Badly damage it. Hurricane force winds dont even come close to the wind speed in a tornado. Tornado's reach 300+ MPH wind speed.

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- Dennis
NYC Subways, The next best thing to riding roller coasters.

Correct, plus you have to add in all that debris swirling around the tornado. So like you said, an F3 to an F5 would destroy anything in its path.

I agree with cp bound and michael darling in that this thing would be rediculously hard to blow over. Beside the fact that it is made entirely of very strong steel columns with footers bigger than a small house, it really doesn't have any large, flat surfaces for the wind to get a hold of. I bet it could handle winds over 200 mph just for these reasons. In other words, I'd be worrying about the rest of the park blowing away before dragster does.

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Enjoy your ride on the Big Bad Bug

I think that any tornado that gets over the bay and survives the transition (I hope to God that doesn't happen again) would be significantly weakened, so an F3+ level tornado would be highly unlikely.

Also, you have to take into account that the supports for MF and Dragster are quite open. It's the same principle as opening your windows in a tornado (I doubt that opening them help much with equalizing the pressure), but there's not a whole lot for the tornado to "grab" onto in regards to the coasters' structures.

Many structures devistated in tornadoes are buildings (compact structures) while you generally don't see many radio towers messed up, and if they are, they are generally knocked down because of inferior foundations. MF and Dragster and definitely secured to the ground in many places, so I wouldn't think that they would be hurt much, if at all. The only thing I think that could cause damage would be if it came form the south, through the marina, propelling boats into them.

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What is most anticipated event of 2003? the debut of Dragster, the release of Metallica's new album, the release of Terminator 3, or the release of Matrix:Reloaded...tough call.

I guess that's why they close down all the rides if there's lightning within ten miles...

It'd say it would make one hell of an IMAX film, though, to have a whole computer animated projection of what Cedar Point would be like in a tornado. Then you walk out and see the park, all nice and perfect.

It'll never happen, though.

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Aww.....Florida! But That's America's Wang

The reason for closing the rides in lightning is so nobody gets hurt, and in case of a strike, they don't get stuck on the ride in the middle of a storm. Evacuating people from a metal platform is not something you want to try in the middle of a storm.

I'm still not buying that Wicked Twister theory. They're designed to wobble because they're unsupported. "If it doesn't shake, it will break" is the motto. Had the towers been designed to be supported, that wouldn't mean they wouldn't be able to dissipate the moment and forces generated. Ever feel a support column as a train goes by? The vibration is a smaller version of what WT's towers do. Technically, everything is vibrating at a certain frequency. If this other theory was true, that'd mean thousands of other rides should break any second.

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VertiGo rides: 32
2002 Raptor Crew
"Hey, Cool. My voice is on the lift"

It's been clearly stated here numerous times that the exact support structure on Millie could safely hold a 700 foot coaster in tornado speed winds. They take these things into consideration when they design the rides.

And that waterspout, I believe it was in 1999. I remember seeing it on the news, someone taped it from across the bay. It was right next to where MF's lift now stands. It was weird seeing this waterspout with PT and Magnum behind it.

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-Chris Woodard
"If you're standing in an uncomfortable position, that means you are in the right position because you are riding Mantis!" - Mantis ride op doing spiels on closing day.

How big was it?

The tornado in the 70's actually destroyed a part of the Mine Ride, and it was closed for a long time that year while they repaired it.