| Chains Many roller coasters have chains which bring the passengers to the top of the first hill. Although chains are the more traditional way of beginning a ride, and were used on wooden coasters, many modern day coaster engineers still include chains on steel roller coasters. The purpose of a chain is to increase the riders' potential energy, meaning that this energy is largest at the top of the chain. This will ensure that riders can then gain as much kinetic energy as possible, to make the ride all the more fun. But how do these chains work efficiently? The answer is actually quite simple. ☞ Components-A chain lift is made up of multiple components, including the chain itself, gears, a motor, and hinged hooks known as chain dogs. ☞ How it Works-These different components work together to make the lift actually work. The chain sits below the track and is connected in a loop, which turns around a gear at the bottom of the hill. Once the coaster cars reach the bottom of the hill, (beginning of the chain) the chain dogs (which are connected to the chain) hook onto the bottom of the cars. The chain then moves up the hill with the car, and the chain dogs are disconnected from the car. This whole time, the chain is moving around the gear in a loop in a motion similar to that of a conveyor belt, powered by a motor.  |
| Launches Although most roller coasters use chains to build up kinetic energy, many recent roller coaster builders have began to use launches instead. The purpose of launchers is to build up speed/gain much acceleration over a short distance/period of time. The point is to transfer the potential energy which was stored as electricity, into the train where it is then quickly converted into kinetic energy. Though there are many types of launching mechanisms, including the use of linear synchronous motors, a select two types of launch mechanisms are most commonly used on roller coasters. Linear-Induction Motor This type of launching system is the most commonly used on modern-day coasters. It is actually controlled by electromagnets. This creates an electromagnetic field on the top of the track as well as on the bottom of the cars. These two magnets are attracted to each other, and as an alternating current is added to the magnets, an electromagnetic field is created, and a motor moves the field, causing the train to accelerate to a high speed very quickly. THIS IS REALLY COOL! |
| Background photo found on https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v1SabYdIlZI/maxresdefault.jpg |
| Gif found on http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/webproj/212_spring_2014/Jessica_Garvin/jessica_garvin/Images/long_roller_coaster.gif |
Uphill Launch A less common, but still used launching system is the uphill launch. While the point is still to quickly speed up the riders, it is much different from the linear-induction motor launch. This uses wheels rather than magnets. To be specific, two rows of wheels are lines up side by side on track going uphill. These will grip onto the bottom of the train, causing it to launch up the hill. Both of these methods are very effective for their purpose. |