Case Studies - Improving Designs of Fairground Rides

Funfair rides provide plenty of thrills but they may also present risks of injury. As part of its ongoing research HSL investigated the accelerations that passengers experience during rides such as rollercoasters, especially when this causes them to move or to brace themselves.

A combined approach using video cameras together with accelerometers provided detailed data on the movement of passengers along all three directions (forwards, sideways and upwards). This provided valuable information for assessing the design of passenger 'containment' systems. By being able to predict passenger motion during the ride, possible improvements to the design can be identified. For example, where passengers are shown to experience a combination of backwards/down/right motion then the seat and restraint design should provide support in that direction. The dynamic analysis is particularly useful when combined with anthropometric modelling of the seat and restraint system.

Of course, many rides will produce a range of accelerations operating in different directions as the ride proceeds. Passenger behaviour is also an important component of ride safety. So when making an ergonomic and safety assessment of a passenger containment system the static, dynamic and psychological factors all need to be considered.

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