Xcelerator re-opens at Knott's while final touches are added in Camp Snoopy

That has to put an incredible amount of force on those cables (seeing as they're bearing the main force of preventing the cable from swaying.

I trust the engineers, but it looks like they're going to snap.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"faster, cheaper, and more often" that's somebody's new sig -UpsideDawnGrrrl
My shirt in my photo seems to be for "Aging Bull"

How can you possibly tell from those photos that it looks as if they're going to snap?

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"God bless Atheists!" - Homer Simpson

I think the bulk of the sway control is on the central beam, seeing as it makes one tower support the other. There is no evidence in the pictures that the cables take most of the pressure, and I'd agree with 'moosh that they don't look like they'll snap. As you said, you trust engineers, let's leave it at that.

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I love the smell of coasters in the mornin'

Having been on the newly opened ride, I would say that it rides exactly the same as it always has- a very good thing, IMO. The cables are just fine and I think the force is distributed so that (obviously) the main support structure absorbs all of the sway.

You'd be surprised when you really look at things that there are quite a few rides that use cables. I can think of two others at Knott's: Ghostrider, and their kiddie coaster, Timberline Twister. I think Boomerang may as well...

The stuff in Camp Snoopy is going well. GR8 SK8 has tested and looks to be ready pretty soon!

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The Trip: CP, SFWoA, PKI, KW, HW, IB, SFGAm, MiA and LeSourdsville too.
8 Days- 10 parks. May 2003

Well, just from my limited experience with k'nex (and even more limited experience with Mech E. having taken half a course before dropping it), since those are the only diagonal beams in the entire structure, they are the only beams that are directly opposing the sway.

Hrm. Basically, with k'nex, when you build a cube it can flex in pretty much any direction, but as you add diagonals to the sides, the diagonals prevent the swaying. I would assume this is because the diagonal beam directly opposes the force of the swaying because the joints themselves don't.

In the case of Xcelerator, the big cross beam prevents the towers from swaying independantly, but it really does nothing at all to prevent the towers from swaying together (nothing that the joints didn't already do).

Summary: Really I have no idea what I'm talking about.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"faster, cheaper, and more often" that's somebody's new sig -UpsideDawnGrrrl
My shirt in my photo seems to be for "Aging Bull"

I think the cables may give a little just to be sure they do not brake

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TOP THRILL DRAGSTER I await your coming

see you on may 4

When the train passes through the top hat the cables move a lot. The one going from the first tower to the second tower moves quite a bit after the train exits the top hat.

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Knott's Unlimited
http://www.knottsunlimited.com
"Your Guide To The Farm"

The cables keep the towers from swaying side to side and the crossbeam keeps the towers from spreading apart. Notice the connection between the cross beam and the towers...it's just a pin which allows for rotation. If it were just the cross beam, the towers would still sway, but sway together. The K'Nex example is a good one...diagonal bracing is incredibly strong.

-Seth

Even for a kiddie ride, GR8 SK8 looks a little tame...I'm confused...

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"Jessica, you're turning me into a criminal, when all I want to be is a petty thug." -Bart Simpson

The cables have to give a little bit in order to exert any force, just like anything else. That's why I never understood "if it doesn't shake, it'll break" comment about the impulse towers. If it didn't deflect, it wouldn't exert any force. I also don't understand the comment because if they supported it fully, so it didn't shake, it wouldn't break either. I guess I just really don't understand that comment at all.

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Be polite and ignore the idiots. - rollergator
"faster, cheaper, and more often" that's somebody's new sig -UpsideDawnGrrrl
My shirt in my photo seems to be for "Aging Bull"