Large crane spotted at the Vortex at PKI
On my way to work I stopped by PKI to see how they were coming along. As I came up to the park I noticed a tall crane next to the lift hill of the Vortex. Could it be that they may give it the paint job it deserves?
-------------
Bill Yost a.k.a. THE BEASTmaster
www.geocities.com/byostie
Can you take me higher? (CREED) *** This post was edited by THE BEASTmaster on 3/27/2001. ***
-------------
Bill Yost a.k.a. THE BEASTmaster
www.geocities.com/byostie
Can you take me higher? (CREED) *** This post was edited by THE BEASTmaster on 3/27/2001. ***
I would not think PKI would need a large crane to work on the 7th Portal Simulator. There had been rumors about a month ago, stating that you may see large cranes popping up at PKI before long.
Maybe there was some truth to that after all.
No one really knows what these large cranes will be used for yet, but we can only hope that it means something big coming to PKI.
Maybe there was some truth to that after all.
No one really knows what these large cranes will be used for yet, but we can only hope that it means something big coming to PKI.
I highly doubt that they would be repainting the Vortex this close to opening day, unless the Ohio Department of agriculture required them to do so. (I have no idea why they would!) If the crane(s) are for a new PKI addition in 2002, not only does it mean that they've started work extremely early, but, presuming its a steel creation, it must be very very large. If the crane is there for new construction, then PKI should announce what it is before daily operation begins. (That's what they did with SoB.) Or, they could be doing maintenance on the Vortex lift or painting it, but if they're painting it, like I said, they waited long enough to start! Were the crane(s) right next to the Vortex or close to it? There wouldn't be large cranes for the motion simulator and I doubt the were cranes for Nickelodeon Central as the cranes in that area are quite low and most of the construction has been completed!
*** This post was edited by coastersrz on 3/27/2001. ***
*** This post was edited by coastersrz on 3/27/2001. ***
coastersrz said:
" Were the crane(s) right next to the Vortex or close to it?
*** This post was edited by coastersrz on 3/27/2001. ***"
All I saw was one crane in front of the lift hill. It looked like it was a green crane used for laying down pipes with a white extention arm. It wasn't one of those big cranes you see at highway constructions. The crane reached past the Vortex's lift hill tip.
-------------
Bill Yost a.k.a. THE BEASTmaster
www.geocities.com/byostie
Can you take me higher? (CREED)
In answer to Lothar's inevitable question...
Magnaflux is actually a brand name for a piece of equipment used to pass a high-amperage electrical current through a steel part. This current flow will cause a magnetic field to be set up in the part. If you have ever done the 'iron filings experiment' where you put a sheet of paper over a magnet and use iron filings to show the magnetic field lines, you know that the field lines will converge at the points at the ends of the magnet.
The same is true for a steel part. Using really small iron particles suspended in a liquid, it is possible to see the magnetic field in the steel part. If there are any surface or near-surface discontinuities in the part, then additional poles will form in the magnetic field at the site of the discontinuity (crack) and will show up as a line of particles along the crack. The procedure is called "magnetic particle testing" and it is a generally accepted form of non-destructive testing (NDT) for metal parts.
That said, knowing that Kings Island is set to open in less than two weeks and presumably has already completed or is now completing the State annual inspection, I'd expect that they would have done the actual NDT evaluation on the coaster some months ago.
It is, of course, equally possible that the crane is there for the convenience of a State inspector. Either way...has this crane got a man-basket on the end of it?
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Magnaflux is actually a brand name for a piece of equipment used to pass a high-amperage electrical current through a steel part. This current flow will cause a magnetic field to be set up in the part. If you have ever done the 'iron filings experiment' where you put a sheet of paper over a magnet and use iron filings to show the magnetic field lines, you know that the field lines will converge at the points at the ends of the magnet.
The same is true for a steel part. Using really small iron particles suspended in a liquid, it is possible to see the magnetic field in the steel part. If there are any surface or near-surface discontinuities in the part, then additional poles will form in the magnetic field at the site of the discontinuity (crack) and will show up as a line of particles along the crack. The procedure is called "magnetic particle testing" and it is a generally accepted form of non-destructive testing (NDT) for metal parts.
That said, knowing that Kings Island is set to open in less than two weeks and presumably has already completed or is now completing the State annual inspection, I'd expect that they would have done the actual NDT evaluation on the coaster some months ago.
It is, of course, equally possible that the crane is there for the convenience of a State inspector. Either way...has this crane got a man-basket on the end of it?
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Dave, I could not tell from the bus drop-off area. I didn't have binoculars with me that day. :)
The crane wasn't there yesterday, but I'm going to check today on my way to work. I'll keep you guys updated.
-------------
Bill Yost a.k.a. THE BEASTmaster
www.geocities.com/byostie
Can you take me higher? (CREED)
The crane wasn't there yesterday, but I'm going to check today on my way to work. I'll keep you guys updated.
-------------
Bill Yost a.k.a. THE BEASTmaster
www.geocities.com/byostie
Can you take me higher? (CREED)
I'm ready for PKI to open, I'd rather go to CP, but PKI will do for a month until the point opens! It definitely would be nice if Vortex got a paint job, it needs one worse than my grandparents barn on their farm.
On a side note, RideMan, just out of curiousity, what do you do for a living? Engineer? Because from your posts here and on GTTP, you seem to have a lot of knowledge of engineer-like subjects.
-------------
UCSigep
"Did you make a copy? Because if you made a copy, we could watch the copy."
On a side note, RideMan, just out of curiousity, what do you do for a living? Engineer? Because from your posts here and on GTTP, you seem to have a lot of knowledge of engineer-like subjects.
-------------
UCSigep
"Did you make a copy? Because if you made a copy, we could watch the copy."
ucsigep, if you really want to know what I really do for a living, you can get an idea by visiting http://capital2.capital.edu/admin-staff/dalthoff . In particular, note the Media Equipment Guide. That's the stuff I'm supposed to know about. My formal training is in television production; my formal post-college training is in amusement ride safety. I've been studying amusement rides for a long time; today's lesson about mag particle testing was entirely the result of a visit to Kings Island during a NAARSO ride safety seminar in '98. I wish I'd had a camera with me that day!
One of these days I'll put a bio on my web page... :)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
One of these days I'll put a bio on my web page... :)
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
You must be logged in to post
