Windseeker construction cam up!

KevinL332 said:
I see probably a dozen guys in and around the foundation zone and only 2-3 MAYBE working.. that says to me these are real construction workers. they have experience! I mean it takes a lot of practice to stand around and really make it look like your working!

Spoken like someone who's never worked a day of hard labor in his life.

Ok, for us curious guys, who really don't know. .

They have been pouring concrete since 9:00 am. - Trucks of concrete have only 1 or 2 hours to get rid of their loads, or the concrete hardens.

So. . Does that mean that the foundation is drying in layers right now, or does the lower concrete stay wet enough to mix with the concrete on the top?

It's not drying in layers. As concrete is added, it prevents the earlier-laid concrete from losing its moisture, and in fact they're almost certainly using vibrators that help force air out of the concrete, and also serve to mix the "old" and "new" concrete to a certain degree.

For what it's worth, the Hoover Damn (formerly known as Boulder Damn) was poured in layers (or blocks, more accurately) by necessity. If there were to pour the entire damn all at once, the exothermic nature of the curing process would have taken over a century, and the stress resulting from the contraction that occurs during curing would have caused the damn to crumble.

That is very interesting. Thanks dj

dj used the word "vibrator". *giggles*

Looks like they are moving fast now. Almost the entire foundation has been poured.

You'd giggle even more seeing one in use. Calling it phallic would be an understatement. :)

KevinL332 said:
It looks to me like its all under control, These guys know what there doing. Look at the cam. I see probably a dozen guys in and around the foundation zone and only 2-3 MAYBE working.. that says to me these are real construction workers. they have experience! I mean it takes a lot of practice to stand around and really make it look like your working!

Lol...

You should see the auto plant I work at. This is common.

Well the concrete looks to be all poured. A nice start to the weekend getting all of it done today. I'm sure all the uber-fans out there will spend their weekend watching it dry. ;)

Just a question did anyone record the webcam today? Like have a time lapse?

I thought I watched a program on the History channel that said the Hoover Dam is still curing.

It seems to me like there building a 'floating' foundation. If lake Erie floods and washes out the sand from under the block and the tower leans even a little bit that's all it would take. unbalancing this ride even a little could cause disaster and huge loss of money. seem like a huge risk.

Considering that Lake Erie has a surface area of over 9,000 square miles and is always in the process of draining via the Niagara River into Lake Ontario, the kind of flooding you describe should be impossible.

My son reminded me, we saw a special on the pyramids, (they are built completely on sand), a college made a miniature of the pyramid on a sand deck, and let the sand fall from under the pyramid to see when it would tip over.

After the pyramid tipped over 30 degrees from vertical, the top fell off of the pyramid. Just saying, maybe the tower would need to be over 30 degrees before tipping becomes an issue. It depends on where the center of gravity of the tower is.

Did they make the WICKED TWISTER on Sand?

Yes, they did.

I've been on the WICKED TWISTER over 200 times. The WINDSEEKER won't fall; even though it is 100ft higher then the WT. RIDE ON!!

Erik Lee said:
I thought I watched a program on the History channel that said the Hoover Dam is still curing.

They also tell you that on the tour of the Hoover Dam as well.

PB-Reader said:
My son reminded me, we saw a special on the pyramids, (they are built completely on sand), a college made a miniature of the pyramid on a sand deck, and let the sand fall from under the pyramid to see when it would tip over.

After the pyramid tipped over 30 degrees from vertical, the top fell off of the pyramid. Just saying, maybe the tower would need to be over 30 degrees before tipping becomes an issue. It depends on where the center of gravity of the tower is.

That's like comparing apples and oranges. The top of a pyramid is supported by a larger base that is that supported by and even larger base and so on. The top of a tower such as windseeker has no such support. When the ride is in operation the center of gravity will change as the 64 people ride up the tower. all that weight will be spread out evenly though centrifugal force as long at the tower is perfectly straight. If that changes by even one degree that balance is gone.

I would not personally ride this ride or advise anyone to ride if it tips by even one degree!

Despite that I have to say I trust Cedar Point they have had some mishaps in the past with a few mistakes with rides (Vertigo) but for the most part Cedar Point remains safer than most other parks. Never been a disaster like Mindbender, Batman the ride or Superman Tower of Power. I will ride this ride and will feel safe in trusting Cedar Point and their engineers.

Erik Lee said:
I thought I watched a program on the History channel that said the Hoover Dam is still curing.

I seem to remember hearing somewhere that concrete gets about 2/3 of its strength in 7 days, but after that its curing speed slows exponentially and can continue to harden for hundreds of years. I honestly dont remember where I heard this, so I don't know if its true.

From the Sandusky Register article about the concrete being poured:

"Weather permitting, more than 1,600 tons of concrete will be needed to build the 30-story ride’s foundation. The dimensions of the foundation are 60 feet by 60 feet by 6 feet deep and will require more than 800 cubic yards of concrete. Prior to the pour, more than 36 tons of steel rebar and 176 steel anchor bolts were placed in position.

Overall, the total weight of the foundation will be more than 3.3 million pounds or 1,650-plus tons of concrete and steel."

Seems to me, with my non-engineering mind and all, that it would take some incredible forces to move 1,650-plus TONS of concrete enough to tip the whole structure over.

On the topic of flooding, if it rains that much, better hope your next door neighbor has an ark laying around his back yard, we'll need it :)