Wibbly Wobbly TTD

Coaster Zach said:

Have you ever seen Iron Wolf? That turn over the station catches my attention every time.

Actually I've been on it... but if you're referring to the fact that it sways, I didn't notice when I was there. I don't doubt, however, that it does, and it just further illustrates that almost all coasters have at least some degree of sway to them, some more than others, some less, but in all cases safe.

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Something Funny And Witty Goes Here

Sometimes structures can sway too much. The John Hancock building in Boston needed to have a mass damper installed on the 58th floor - 2 giant blocks of steel/lead in a pan of oil connected by springs to the frame of the building that counteracts any sway/twisting.

Here's an interesting link with some more detail on this building's growing pains.

http://www.sky-boston.com/skyscrapers/hancock/article.shtml

From what my structures professor has told my class, the Hancock Building was designed correctly. The sway and such was within acceptable limits, but the windows were made incorrectly and kept breaking and falling. The glass wasn't allowed to move, so it broke.
0seth

Next time you are at CP and TTD is up stand under the tower behind the ATM machine and LISTEN to it sway!

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Dan Haverlock
Magnum:2318
www.dannyjphoto.com

Doh... ty GP. Not sure how, but I got it confused with the Verrazano-Narrows bridge in NY. /em refuels the caffeine tank.

I'm in the midst of reading a very interesting book, called "Why Buildings Fall Down". It is a very accessible text on structure design, and is worth a read by anyone interested in this sort of thing.

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http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~bnoble/

I read that book a few years ago. Awesome read.

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?