(This article was first published in the Central Penn Business Journal's Blueprints supplement.)
SMB&R’s Engineers Meet the Challenge of Designing a Strong Foundation to Sustain the “Heat” of Hersheypark’s Eleventh Roller Coaster--Fahrenheit
Despite the stereotypical image of a boring, calculating, pocket-protector-wearing nerd, engineers can find themselves working on fascinating projects that go well beyond a standard bridge column.
Here in the heart of central Pennsylvania, construction has begun on Hersheypark’s latest roller coaster. Due to open in May 2008, “Fahrenheit” is Hersheypark’s eleventh roller coaster. This steel coaster features a vertical ascent hill 121-feet high and a 97 degree negative drop hill—the steepest drop of any roller coaster in the United States. The 2,700 feet of track also includes a 107-foot inverted loop, various corkscrew rolls, air-time hills, and high-speed banked turns.
While the design and fabrication of the steel superstructure was completed by Intamin Transportation Ltd, a world-renowned amusement ride design firm located outside the U.S., much of the design was provided by engineering entities located in central Pennsylvania.
The Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Construction Services Group spearheaded the planning and conceptual development of the attraction. Light-Heigel & Associates, Inc. of Palmyra performed topographical surveys to locate the position of the proposed ride structure on the site near The Boardwalk at Hersheypark and identified issues with existing structures and terrain that dictated the design of the ride’s superstructure and foundations. F.T. Kitlinski & Associates, Inc. of Harrisburg prepared the geotechnical engineering report that defined parameters of the existing soils.
SMB&R, Inc. of Camp Hill designed the ride’s foundations. Over the past ten years, the firm has capably filled this unique niche in the local engineering market, assisting Hersheypark with many of their attractions, including the Great Bear, Roller Soaker, and Storm Runner roller coasters. While the complexity and magnitude of the exposed steel superstructure of a modern roller coaster has great visual appeal, the foundations—although obscure and straight-forward in appearance—are critical to the performance, safety, and success of the attraction.
Reinforced cast-in-place concrete is the best material for the construction of the foundation piers and footings. To design these concrete foundations, SMB&R structural engineers Pret Lytle and Darius Bharucha processed information from the ride manufacturer, the surveyor, and the geotechnical engineer to determine the most economical and constructible solution.
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