Ballast dummy

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Ballast dummies ( ballast manikins ) are rough replicas of human bodies that are always used when the effects of a person's weight on a system are to be investigated. In contrast to a crash test dummy , ballast dummies are not equipped with any sensor technology, as the effects of the tests on the human body are usually of minor importance or are already known.

application areas

Ballast dummies play a major role, especially in the fairground trade. They are mainly used here for 2 areas.

First of all for the classification of the roller coaster , which checks whether the acceleration values ​​that occur match the previously calculated values.

Ballast dummies are also used if the effects on the human organism are already known, but the safety of the structure (e.g. roller coaster) has to be tested again. Roller coasters must be built after each construction (mobile roller coasters) or after the z. B. be tested again for your safety in amusement parks usual winter break. With such roller coasters, of course, the effects on the body during the ride have been sufficiently investigated.

In automotive engineering, such dummies are often used for initial tests with occupant restraint systems to check whether they can withstand the stress of an adult.

Ballast dummies are also often required for tests of driving dynamics . These take the place of passengers and thus simulate a fully occupied vehicle or different occupations. These various loads in turn have a direct effect on the vehicle's driving dynamics. The following areas of application are meanwhile everyday:

In the automotive / aerospace and aerospace industries :

  • Seat belt
  • Seat life / seat wear
  • Crash bars
  • Tire traction
  • acceleration
  • Brakes
  • Rollover attempts
  • Accident staging
  • Space capsule
  • Aircraft cargo
  • Seat structure design

In the shipping / marine and military sector :

  • Boat and vehicle tests
  • Destruction tests of explosions in motor vehicles

In the area of ​​amusement parks :

  • Roller coaster and other rides
  • Initial trip listing
  • loading
  • Restraint systems

In medical areas :

  • Wheelchair / stair lift
  • Sick bed, slatted frame endurance test
  • Mattress test

Other accident staging :

  • Winter sports / ski accidents
  • Accident tests for safety harnesses (wind farm, forestry, electricity pylons, leisure industry, etc.)
  • Elevator loading

development

Even today, sandbags are often used for load tests on roller coasters , which are fastened in the seats with the help of tension belts or the like. This is where the ballast dummies have their origin. When using sandbags, the following problems occur again and again today:

  • large expenditure of time to attach the sandbags to the seats,
  • Sandbags of approx. 80 kg are difficult to handle,
  • Risk of injury on the ground due to sandbags falling out of the seats while driving,
  • the restraint and belt systems are not tested - this is now done with the ballast dummies,
  • broken sandbags scatter sand in the landscape,
  • Sandbags in no way represent a person's weight distribution.

However, in order to apply the load in a more convenient manner, other methods have been developed. The most established is the one in which water is poured into a hollow plastic body while it is already "sitting" in the position to be taken (for example in the seat of the roller coaster). These bodies are made from any kind of plastic or even from hard rubber and usually weigh less than 10 kg when empty. This represents a big step forward compared to the sandbags, as these dummies can be filled easily with the water hose. The filled water can be drained through a valve after use.

The last step was the mapping of limbs . The latest models have rudimentary legs, which also consist of a hollow plastic cover, can be filled with water and attached to the torso by means of a peg.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roller coaster construction Report on the construction and testing of a roller coaster
  2. ↑ Ballast Test Dummy Patent specification of a ballast dummy with rudimentary limbs