NDT Applications in Each Phases of a Material Processing used in the production of Roller

Coaster Components

Muhammad Luqman Syakir bin Rosli There are may components of a ride that
required inspection during manufacturing
ME0100662 NDT Section 1 S1 19/20
processes and during in operation such as:
1. Introduction
• Tracks and rails
Roller coaster, high railway with steep
• Structural Steel
slopes and descent through sharp curves and
abrupt shifts for a short exciting journey, with • Bolts

a train of passengers taking shape. It is a • Fasteners and connectors

common recreational activity found mostly in • Axles

amusement parks as a constant loop. World’s • Pivots

oldest roller coaster is from Russia which
descended from the “Russian Mountains”
that constructed with snow located in the
garden around Saint Petersburg. In Malaysia,
there are few roller coasters operated at
several amusement parks such as Berjaya
Times Square, Legoland Johor and Genting
Highland.
• Lap bar parts
• Roller coaster cars
The reason why inspections are needed in
every production of parts is because to secure
the safety of passengers and to maintain the
structure of the roller coaster. So, a
manufacturer should ensure that every part
fully meets the design specification or
standards in term of materials used, material
properties, dimensions, quality and
manufacturing standards during
manufacturing processes. Manufacturers
must indicate or mark every part in a manner
which will avoid errors in assembly.
Furthermore, manufacturers must ensure
all personnel that are involved during
manufacturing process and maintenance such

Figure 1: Berjaya Times Square Theme Park as welders, electrical technician are
competent and adequately trained.
2. NDT application in roller coaster material
processing part.
NDT applications are proven to give huge
returns by reducing ultimate rejection rates,
saving precious production time, improving
the general quality and reliability of
manufactured goods, extending the plant life
by preventative maintenance, saving
unnecessary shutdowns, especially in the
field of service inspection and enhancing the
reputation of a certain industry. For
amusement park, it is necessary to do
checking for every playground to ensure
visitors’ safety while operating. Before
construction of playground such as roller
coaster and ferris wheels, NDT are applied
during production of for each component.
On June 14, 2018 at Florida, first car roller
coaster called the “Sandblaster” was derailed
and dangled from its track. During the
incident, there were two passengers remained
hanging in the derailed four-person car, while
two other passengers have fallen to the
ground about thirty feet below. Based on
investigation, the incident is happened due to
excessive speed caused the derailment and
there was unreported derailment before the
incident [1].
Figure 2: Inspection by officials at Daytona's Beach
boardwalk
During material processing, various NDT
tests can be applied to look for defect or
cracks from biggest part such as rails to the
smallest part like bolts and nuts.
2.1 Visual Inspection
Visual inspection is used to look for
defect either through eyes or help of
machine vision. Visual inspection can be
applied to see cracks by using magnifying
glasses, borescopes and mirror to inspect in
greater detail the subject area. [2].
Visual inspection is carried out with four
levels. Every level of inspection is done to
guarantee that in the region between rails
and strongback or within the ride clearance
envelope, there are no foreign objects
present.
 Figure 4: Liquid penetrant is applied on rail tracks.

Figure 3: Visual inspection during maintenance of 2.3 Magnetic Particle Inspection

seat-locking mechanism on Afterburn
Structural integrity of roller coaster
component is very important for safety of
2.2 Dye/Liquid Penetrant Test
visitor because roller coaster is moving at
This method of inspection is widely used
very high speed. Defects that occur in either
because it can be applied to a lot of part that
small or big components such as bolts and
vary from different sizes. This method is
nuts, fastener and connector can cause failure
used to reveals surface defects with the
that might leads to accident [4].
“bleed-out” of a medium in contrasted
To detect cracks or flaws in small
context. Penetrant is applied to the pre-clean
components such as bolts, Magnetic Particle
surface of sample such as rails, bolt and
Inspection can be used. Below is sample of
nuts, etc.
crack detected in bolt that is used in aircraft
In production of rail tracks and during in
industries but somehow it just the same as
service inspection, liquid penetrant test is
used in roller coaster:
reliable because it can be applied directly
without aids of big tools or equipment. This
method can provide cracks, porosity, laps
and seams of other surface discontinuities
[3].
Excess ground penetration will be remove
and a developer implemented after a certain
period known as “dwell”. This acts as
Figure 5: Indication of cracks on a bolt [4]
blotter. It reveals its existence through the
During inspection process, bolt is
defect.
magnetized and magnetic particle are applied
over the bolt. If any cracks or discontinuities • Sensitive to surface and subsurface
appear on surface, the discontinuities will discontinuities.
interfere magnetic lines and create a leakage • Accurate depth of penetration for
field. flaw detection
• One side is enough to do
inspection when pulse-echo
technique is used.
• Provide instantaneous results.
Below is inspection using ultrasonic on
shaft front that is being used in railway
vehicles such as trains, roller coaster,
monorail and locomotives.

Figure 6: Longitudinal magnetization with wet

horizontal bench system

2.4 Ultrasonic Testing

Ultrasonic testing uses high frequency
sound energy to conduct testing and make
measurement usually on steel and other Figure 7: Probe applied on shaft to detect
discontinuities [5]
metals and alloys.
Sound energy is implemented to detect
2.5 Radiography Testing
discontinuities such as wave path, part of the
Radiography inspection is used to detect
energy will be reflected back from the flaw
hidden flaws by using short wavelength
surface. Reflected wave is transform into an
radiation to penetrate various materials.
electrical signal which will be displayed on
X-ray machine or radioactive source will
display board.
be used as a source of photons. Radiation
Ultrasonic has a lot of advantages such as:
emerging from other side of material is used
to detect and measure thickness or industries which safety of user is number one
composition of material. priority.
Radiography methods can be used for
various parts of roller coaster such as steel
4. References
structure to look for cracks at welded parts or
joints, fasteners and bolts connection, body
[1] L. S. e. al., "abcNEWS," abcNEWS, 15
of roller coaster cars and to see flaws in rails June 2018. [Online]. Available:
that might crack. https://abcnews.go.com/US/people-fall-
30-feet-derailed-roller-
coaster/story?id=55912117. [Accessed
28 July 2019].

[2] "Fairgrounds and amusement parks:

Guidance on safe practice," TSO (The
Stationary Office), Norwich, 2017.

[3] G. B. Lee, "APPLICATIONS OF NDT

IN RAIL TRACKS," NANYANG
TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY,
Singapore, 2015.
Figure 8: Radiography inspection on steel structure
[4] A. Uludag, "The Magnetic Particle
Inspection Examination of Aircraft
3. Conclusions Propeller Mounting Bolts," Journal of
Various methods of NDT can be applied in Multidisciplinary Engineering Science
and Technology (JMEST), vol. 3, no. 12,
material processing used in production of
pp. 6337-6341, 2016.
roller coaster components and also during
[5] V. J. a. J. Grum, "LATEST METHODS
operation and maintenance to detect flaws.
OF NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
This method somehow will increase safety of OF RAILWAY VEHICLES," in The 8th
visitor and increase lifespan of the roller International Conference of the
Slovenian Society for Non-Destructive
coaster. Accidents can be reduced with the Testing , Portoroz, 2005.
help of NDT methods. Furthermore, cost also
can be reduced during production and
maintenance. It is proven NDT methods are
reliable in many industries especially in