Breakdance (amusement ride)
When Breakdance (also Break Dance , Break Dancer or short Breaker ) is a popular amusement ride or a ride type that often folk festivals can be found.
construction
The ride consists of a 12-, 18-sided or completely round turntable, slightly inclined by 7 degrees, on which there are four or six gondola crosses evenly spaced. Characteristic of this ride are the typical gear noises of the turntable drive, which express themselves as howling or singing, especially when accelerating and braking. Some of the systems have already been converted to run quieter drives. Four gondolas are attached to each of the gondola crosses. Each gondola can seat up to two passengers. The turntable and the gondola crosses are driven by electric motors, which set the gondolas in a combined rotation. Similar to the turntable, the gondolas are attached at an angle to the gondola crosses, but can swing freely around their own axis.
The inclinations, the combination of two opposing rotations (turntable to the left, gondola crosses to the right), and the freely moving gondolas ensure the characteristic driving experience of this ride. Due to the wild and often difficult to predict and constantly changing driving movement, the name is based on the breakdance dance style.
The first break dance was delivered in 1985 by Huss Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG to the Dreher-Zarnitz (now Dreher-Vespermann) family of showmen in Bremen. This model is, so to speak, the original and still makes its rounds nationwide with contemporary technical and optical equipment.
Importance as a meeting place
Like the bumper car, breakdancing is often a point of attraction and lingering for young people. One reason for this may be the free structure of the business: It is possible to walk around the turntable at any time (even while driving), and there are several bars / brackets that you can use to sit or lean. Since the turntable is not tilted (e.g. during take off ), the view always remains clear. The sound is also arranged evenly. You can stay and settle down at any point of the ride and watch the goings-on undisturbed. For example, in Stuttgart ( Spring Festival and Cannstatter Wasen ) the Break Dance No. 1 the central meeting place for young people. In front of the fairground ride, several "dance battles" will be held in parallel to current or iconic black and house music. Here a dancer challenges an opponent. The dance moves are judged by cheering by the spectators around and the respective winner is determined. In this way, the dynamics of driving movement, sound and light effects are transferred to the audience. For fans of the fair, the break dance is a meeting point to “play” in competition. By this word creation they understand to keep the gondola in a permanent turning motion on its own, which increases the intensity of the journey.
Zöllner's Break Dance was the first to switch completely to energy-saving LED lighting technology in 2010. The power connection value of the amusement park has been reduced a lot as a result. Thanks to the LED illumination, light shows can be admired in the evening hours.
Typical driving elements
The movements of the gondolas depend on a variety of influences, some of which are coincidental. For this reason, the sequence of a journey cannot always be foreseen or controlled, neither by the Ride-OP nor by the passenger.
In principle, the rotation of the gondola around its own axis is usually swinging within a certain angle of rotation, more rarely does the gondola suddenly turn completely around its own axis or remain aligned with a center of rotation such as the gondola crosses. By skilfully shifting the body weight, a passenger can also put the gondola in a state of prolonged or permanent rotation. In the scene of fairground rides and roller coaster fans, this is usually referred to as "sport", as the passenger sometimes has to work against the centrifugal forces with great force in order to shift his weight.
The following influencing factors affect the movement of the gondola:
- absolute speed of the turntable
- absolute speed of the gondola crosses
- Weight and position of the passengers within the gondola
- existing swing of the gondola
- Change of speeds
- Position on the turntable (due to the inclination)
The factors influence each other and are often not easy to assign to their effect, for example, because the change in speed itself has an influence, while the absolute speed at the moment also plays a role in the behavior of the gondola.
If the speeds are kept constant, a certain movement sequence stabilizes after a short time. In order to prevent this and thus to keep the journey exciting, the speed is usually subject to constant changes.
Despite the various factors and possibilities of turning, certain driving elements can always be made out:
- Slow turntable and gondola crosses - the gondolas swing very slowly and in a wide angular range, essentially depending on their position on the turntable
- Fast gondola crosses ( facelifting ) - low speed of the turntable, high speed of the crosses. The gondolas align themselves in the direction of the center of rotation and hardly swing, if at all. There are noticeably high g-forces that push you into the gondola. In addition, it is also possible to apply the gondola brakes in this driving figure , whereby the gondolas are locked .
- Medium-speed turntable, fast gondola crosses - the gondolas swing at a wide angle and keep stopping for a short time at a certain angle
- Fast turntable - the gondolas race very quickly towards the outer edge of the turntable and change direction from there. Braking at the edge and accelerating in a different direction creates the feeling of being constantly thrown off the turntable.
Processes
The sequence of the journey and the change of passengers contain many “rituals” that have become commonplace. These fixed processes also give breakdancing a special flair; therefore it is discussed in more detail here.
Change of passengers
In breakdancing, a lot is placed on the passengers' own actions and personal responsibility. There are no barriers to prevent spectators from entering the ride at any time, bars can or must be opened and closed by the passengers themselves, entry and exit are organized independently. Thanks to the “cooperation” of the guests, passenger changes are therefore always extremely quick after one round. The disadvantage here, however, are additional dangers ( see section Dangers ).
Wait at the turntable
In times of high crowds (evening hours), the guests spread around the turntable for the next round. This close proximity is necessary because there are fewer seats per lap than waiting guests during peak times, and as a guest you have to be quick here to get a seat. Since there is no fixed queue, only luck, speed and rush determine the chances of participating in the next round.
End of a running lap
The end of a lap is indicated by the lighting up and often the commander's warning to wait until the target has come to a standstill . As soon as the disc is almost there ( see section Dangers ), the waiting people jump onto the turntable and often try to find a gondola at a running pace where nobody is waiting. Meanwhile, the passengers on the last lap get off and those waiting get on. If you couldn't find a seat, you leave the turntable and wait until the next round. The change can therefore be more or less chaotic.
In times of quieter operation (usually at lunchtime), the passenger change is accordingly less hectic. You can then take your time between the rounds, because guests are waited for and there is always a free seat.
Check before the start of the round
Shortly before the start of a new round, the employees collect the driving chips and, if necessary, check that the brackets are properly closed. Often the turntable is brought into a slow rotation. This means that the gondolas move past the control stand, from where the commanding officer has a better overview of the guests and compliance with the safety measures. Employees usually leave the turntable in a smooth transition and the next round begins.
In the evenings when there is a rush, all processes for changing passengers merge into one another. The turntable is only there for a short time, and otherwise the action is always very lively due to people walking around, matching the course of the journey itself.
Types
| Type | Manufacturer | premiere | Gondolas | th. capacity | size | Weight | Height diff. | rotational speed | electrical power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakdance No. 1 | HUSS | 1985 | 16 (4 × 4) | 1300 people / h | 20 m × 20 m | 40 t | 2.8 m | Turntable: 14 / min, gondola crosses: 28 / min | 90 kW drive, 40 kW light |
| Breakdance No. 2 | HUSS | 1987 | 24 (6 × 4) | 1800 people / h | 25 m × 25 m | 65 t | 2.8 m | Turntable: 12 / min, gondola crosses: 28 / min | 140 kW drive, 100 kW light |
| Breakdance No. 3 | HUSS | 1989 | 16 (4 × 4) | 1300 people / h | 18 m × 18 m | 27 t | no | Turntable: 14 / min, gondola crosses: 28 / min | 90 kW drive, 20 kW light |
| Breakdance 4 (Rodeo) | HUSS | 1996 | 12 (3 × 4) | 650 people / h | 13 m × 13 m | 7 t | no | ? | 56 kW drive |
| Blade runner | Safeco | ? | 16 (4 × 4) | 1200 people / h | 16 m × 14 m | 46 t | ? | ? | 40 kW |
| Break dance | Sobema | ≤1991 | 16 (4 × 4) | ? | 17 m × 17 m | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| Crazy Dance | Fabbri | ? | 16 (4 × 4) | 640 people / h | 16 m × 17 m | 20 t | 1.6 m | ? | 85 kW drive, 30 kW light |
| Magic dance | Top fun | ? | 16 (4 × 4) | 1200 people / h | 18 m × 16 m | ? | ? | ? | 70 kW drive |
| Star dancer | Nauta Bussink - Heeg NL | 1990 | 16 (4 × 4) | 1,400 | ? | 45 t | ? | ? | Gondola drive 4 × 7.5 kW and 2 × 30 kW |
Traveling plants:
- Break Dancer (including Sobczyk, Engelbrecht, Spangenberger)
- Break Dancer (Alexander Schramm & Son)
- Break Dance (including Freiwald, Seiferth)
- Break Dance F1 (Meyer)
- Break Dance No.1 (including Kinzler, Grünberg / Kaiser, Welte)
- Break Dance No.1 - Bonner (little breaker)
- Break Dance No.2 - Bonner (big breaker)
- Break Dancer Das Original / No. 1 - Dreher / Vespermann (small breaker)
- Break Dance No.2 - Dreher / Vespermann (big breaker)
In the case of Breakdance 3, in contrast to version 1 and 2, the platform is not inclined, so it can be accessed from all sides. For this, the platform is conical, i. H. the highest point is in the middle, and from there it drops evenly all around towards the edge. The Breakdance 4 is a version for stationary use (e.g. in amusement parks ) and has no base plate. It is one of the manufacturer's ASR (Advanced System Ride) products, which are all built on the same platform and would therefore be interchangeable.
Blade Runner , Break Dance , Crazy Dance , Magic Dance and Star Dancer are copies of other manufacturers, whereby the Crazy Dance and Break Dance by Sobema can be set apart from the original by a lifting mechanism under the gondola crosses and the direction of rotation of the platform can be changed on the Star Dancer . The Magic Dance has gondolas that, according to the manufacturer, can be occupied by up to three people.
Star dancer
The Star Dancer from Nauta Bussink has a space look and a rather fast driving program. The main drives are the only ones that allow travel in two directions and double the acceleration speed compared to the HUSS version. The gondolas can be positioned yourself. A total of four rides were produced, two of which are in the Netherlands, and one each in Germany and South Korea.
hazards
At peak times it is often difficult to find free seats when changing passengers . Since there is no fixed queue, speed is an important factor in finding a seat. For this reason, some guests jump onto the turntable at the end of a running lap, even if it has not yet come to a complete standstill. Those who jump up too early, underestimate their speed and cannot keep their balance run the risk of falling.
Another danger that can be mentioned in this context is the unintentional contact of those waiting with the turntable while driving. The turntable is 20-30 cm above the level on which those waiting can move. If the necessary safety distance is not observed, injuries can occur when touching the rotating turntable. This risk is particularly high with older models of breakdance, as the turntable does not have a perfectly round shape, but is a polygon. A round turntable is required for newer models.
For these reasons, with carousels such as breakdancing it must be secured by fences or barriers that nobody can come into contact with the ride while driving. According to DIN EN 13814 from June 2005, this applies throughout Europe. In Germany, this guideline was implemented for the first time in 2007 by Diebold on their breakdance, which they acquired from Austria.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The prototype of the Break Dance ride , on onride.de, accessed on October 1, 2016