Parametric Design and Optimization of Roller Coaster Support Structures Considering Sustainability and Maintenance
Open Access
- Author:
- Self, Ian
- Area of Honors:
- Architectural Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Nathan Brown, Thesis Supervisor
Richard Mistrick, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Optimization
Structural Engineering
Roller Coaster
Parametric Design - Abstract:
- Following the loosening of restrictions on gatherings and travel due to the 2020 pandemic, theme park attendance is once again on the rise. In order to meet the demand of new visitors and create incentive for repeat attendance, these parks must continue to develop new experiences and attractions. These new developments come at a cost financially and environmentally as new structures for rides and the buildings around them are constructed. Every new ride or building that is constructed represents an amount of embodied carbon that cannot be reduced throughout the structure’s life. As new computational tools are developed, there is an opportunity to apply them to the design of these structures to develop better-informed and more efficient outcomes. This thesis uses parametric design and optimization tools on specifically steel roller coaster structures to investigate the material savings that they make possible. Beyond simple material savings, more efficient support design also has the potential for maintenance savings, reducing the number of connections that require rigorous inspection. Three case studies of varying scales investigate the possible material savings available through optimization and a full understanding of the effects of various loadings on each ride. These case studies are each modelled in a parametric structural design software as a ground structure generating a design space in which supports can be turned on and off to test different designs. A multi-objective optimization routine is then applied which performs a topology optimization to find the minimal number of supports required from that original structure to resist the applied dead, live (ride vehicle), and wind loads. The results of these studies showed that early design optimization could reduce mass by approximately 25% over a baseline established using industry rules-of-thumb, and 20% with more structural supports compared to a baseline model based on an existing ride. Furthermore, case studies investigating the design of ride elements were able to evaluate the effects of wind and ride loads on structural design.