Amusement Park Hydraulic Cylinder Usage

When you visit an amusement park with your family, you probably aren’t giving much thought to hydraulic cylinders. While you focus on having fun, hydraulic cylinders are hard at work, controlling the rides, providing movement for simulators and animation, and helping to keep your family safe.

In all rides, particularly those that take you to the greatest heights, and those that move very quickly, precision is important. A small error in movement of the track, or passenger car, can create a dangerous situation. Rides are designed for all sorts of environments, like traveling in water, and moving over land. Some even climb as high as 450 feet into the air! Hydraulic cylinders are at work with such things as switching track paths, braking cars to safe speeds, and aligning passenger cars to a more favorable position for the rider’s enjoyment.

In other rides, they are used to lift mechanisms that turn or rotate the ride for an added thrill! Hydraulic cylinders not only exert the required high levels of force, they do so in a very precise, and controlled way. Hydraulic Cylinders can handle the rapid, repeated, fluid motion of an amusement park ride with ease, providing a safe, and enjoyable ride.

 

You’re probably also familiar with the metal safety bar that lowers and locks into place when you take your seat on some rides, especially roller coasters. This relatively small part plays a big role in keeping you safe, and in many cases it is hydraulics that makes this possible. Hydraulic power is used to raise and lower the safety bar, the strength of the hydraulic cylinders keeps it in place as you speed through your ride, despite the forces being exerted on the rider, and the ride itself.

The next time you enjoy a day at a amusement park, take a moment to consider the massive amount of power behind making these rides work. Hydraulic cylinders makes it possible for those rides to use a lot of power in precise and controlled ways, for the benefit of every enthusiast!