Vertical loop - The vertical loop of a
rollercoaster is usually teardrop shaped. It is the section of a rollercoaster track that completes
a 360 degree circle. Rollercoasters today employ teardrop shaped (clothoid) loops rather
than circular loops. This is because circular loops require significantly greater
entry speeds to accelerate around the loop. If
the radius is reduced at the top of the loop, the centripetal acceleration is
increased sufficiently to keep the passengers and the train from slowing too
much as they move through the loop.
Banked turns- A banked curve induces a
sensation of being thrown sideways by turning the car sideways. There are a few different ways to go about banking turns on a roller
coaster. In some earlier coaster designs, the banking on a curve was achieved
by holding the inside rail level and raising the outside rail, rotated about
the inside rail (pictured above). You also had designs where the inside rail
was lowered and the outside rail was raised with the track rotated about the
spine or backbone pipe.
Corkscrew with 3 helices- A
corkscrew is an inversion that resembles a vertical look been stretched so that
the entrance and exit points are a distance away from each other. It generally
consists of 3 loops in a row. We are probably incorporating this section of track int our design as the materials required to construct a corkscrew successfully will need to be both malleable enough to bend, yet strong enough to not collapse or shake while the car is on the track, characteristics difficult to find in conventional materials.
