Launch Coasters.

[owentaylor121]

Does anybody know why most Intamin Launch coaster's have there track slightly inclined upwards.

For example: STEALTH, Furius Baco and Cheetah Hunt.

 

[Lofty]

Just to say, this is kind of irrelevant, but, Furius Baco's launch is a LOT steeper than other Launch Coaster's. Could this have anything to do with the larger weight on the trains causing a steeper angle to create more of a force to roll the train back to the station?

 

[owentaylor121]

Thanks UC that not makes sence when I think about it.
And -lofty- I really can't help you with that one.

 

[Lofty]

Thanks UC that not makes sence when I think about it.
And -lofty- I really can't help you with that one.

Don't worry, I didn't expect you to, it was aimed at UC. He may know.

 

[Hixee]

Just out of curiosity, since it's difficult to tell otherwise, is the end of Baco's launch track the highest point on the ride? It looks awfully close. It could be their way of avoiding a valley in the case of an aborted launch, by essentially ensuring a "point of no return" - i.e. a large enough drop after the end of the launch that if the train does make it over the end, it will make it back to the station without getting stuck halfway through the layout.

I don't think it is. There is a large s-bend hop over the launch track/station (think Cheetah Hunt over the cable car) that I cannot believe would be lower than the end of the launch track.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVvT4ZtCYlU[/youtube]
If you look at 0:20 in that video you can see the track going over the launch track, then at 0:35 you go over the launch track.

I think it could be to do with them having to put less of a trench in, and possibly give a bigger pop of airtime at the end of the launch.

 

[Lofty]

Yeah, the highest point is in fact the S bend over the hill.

Originally the end of the launch was meant to be covered and the whole beginning section of the ride was meant to be themed to a Spanish Village, it never ended up being completed, which is sad. That's why there's a little random concrete hut along the way, which is really sad.

I know that has nothing to do with anything, just thought I'd share

 

[Treeis]

I have a quick question about launch coasters... how do they calculate accelleration G-force? They say Stealth has about 4.5G (I cannot now remember where I got that number from, but I hope its true). But I just want to know how they got to that number

 

[Hixee]

I'm sure someone can elaborate more, but I'm just going to give you the short answer before I leave the house.

It's to do with the fact that 0-80mph in 1.9 seconds is the average acceleration. Hydraulic Launch coasters have a much bigger 'punch' at the start (due to the way fluid pressure drives the acceleration, but I'll keep it short here so omit the technicalities), so the first say... 0-30mph will be at 4.5G (as if, really its probably just the initial impulse that's that strong), and then the acceleration drops off down the launch track. This means it ends up averaging around 2G (ball park from 0-80mph in 1.9s), even though there is a spike at the start.

That make sense?

 

[Gazza]

^Sometimes parks use acceleration and G force interchangeably too.

When they say an acceleration of 4.5g, often they are refering to the vertical centripetal acceleration on the curve into the tophat.

 

[Treeis]

Oh ok, thanks guys this makes alot of sense now. Because with some calculations on the whole "80mph in 1.9s" thing, I had stealth accelllerating at over 18m/s^2

Which...yeah, would be about 2G.