RollerCoasters
A place to talk about roller coasters and parks that have them. Everyone is welcome here to both learn and to celebrate these magnificent machines designed to scare you.
Here are some important resources:
Images are welcome if they are of high quality and it doesn't get out of hand. Please use PostImages to upload your image and then use that link in the URL field of your post (other image sites are permitted but Post Images has the best policies and compatibility).
Some basic rules:
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Opinions, theories, and facts are all welcome – but be clear about what you’re saying.
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Back up facts with sources as much as possible
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No spam or sell-promotion. Linking to your own media or site is permissible only if it’s specifically related to a topic/post that someone else created.
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No photos or videos taken on the rides. This is dangerous and shouldn't be encouraged.
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Limit political discussion. When discussed it must be park related.
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No fictional coasters (models, no limits, planet coaster, etc)
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No posting personal information.
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No shaming of anyone. We all can continue to learn and not everyone knows everything -- and that's ok.
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Fracture. Usually embrittlement in the weld zone. There are a couple of ways it can be introduced/ manifest, but the cyclic nature of the loading will result in growth of a flaw. Once the geometry of the connection is altered, the entire joint mechanics can get thrown off.
Note- I’m a structural engineer, but not an expert in fracture mechanics or weld metallurgy. I’ve seen failures like this but I know just enough to know when it’s beyond my competency. The details here are something I lean on other specialists for. This is definitely a juicy one.