Ship swing
A swing boat (even ship 's rocking ) is an on festivals widespread ride . The swing itself is usually not suspended from ropes but from a steel structure. The rocking platforms for the passengers are traditionally shaped like ships.
Smaller ship swings are powered by muscle power, larger ones by electric motors. The latter is powered by a stationary tire that drives the smooth underside of the ship swing.
By changing the direction of rotation of the motor or by actively changing the passenger's center of gravity (muscle power), the ship swing is rocked. There are also ship swings that rotate as you move. Such a construction is practically a cross between a ship swing and a carousel .
Some types of ship swing can also overturn. Depending on the design, the passengers secured with safety bars in such rides sit with their heads up or down when the ship swing has reached the highest point. Overturning ship swings, in which the passenger always sits with their head up, are also known as flying carpets . Overturning swings operated with muscle power are also known as circular swings. There was also a muscle-powered circular swing called the Hollywood swing, in which the cabin - similar to the magic carpet - remained upright.
Ship swing brakes
The ship swing brake is the person who slowly brakes the swing with a lever after the travel time has expired, and is also a derogatory synonym for low-skilled workers.
Decline of the ship swings in Germany
There are only a few ship swings left in Germany. The reasons for this are seen to be the increased opportunities to organize leisure time, for example in sports, on the Internet and through play equipment. The steadily falling birth rate and the lack of profitability of the rides are also blamed for the decline of the ship swings in Germany. The physical exertion of using muscle power to drive the swings, some of which weigh more than a hundred kilograms, also had a negative effect.
Original form
The original shape of the ship's swing, which appeared around 1890, is physically a rigid pendulum . At a height of 3–5 m, a pipe about 4 cm in diameter and about 1–2 m in length is stably supported; from each end of the pipe two supports run radially, spreading an angle of about 60 ° to the ground, a third support each runs under the imaginary axial extensions of the pipe also at about 30 ° to the vertical to the ground. The feet of the supports can be connected to one another by struts and are typically attached to the ground, for example by nails driven at an angle into the natural ground, or weighted down.
A roller bearing surrounds the pipe near the pipe ends. From each bearing, two pipes with a diameter of 3 cm extend approximately radially in order to connect to two 40 cm long beams in the bottom of the ship. The bow and stern of the symmetrical ship are each covered with a board on which you can sit to relax. Railings and struts, and a chain that can be pushed up at the side, form a protective cage to prevent the rockers from falling out of the ship.
The pendulum mass is formed from the ship's hull and basket and one or two occupants. Two rockers stand facing each other, with their feet in the hull and only hold each other with their four hands on two bars that are diagonally apart. In swing positions in the upper semicircle, a component of gravity acts on the swinging person in the direction of the head. The wrists can be secured with straps that are looped around the bar one and a half times to absorb this force. The feet and shoes can also be attached to the ship's floor in bindings.
The level or only slightly curved floor of the ship's hull is typically supplemented by - for example - a wooden circular segment that pushes lengthways on a wooden board that can be lifted slightly from the ground in order to brake the swing or to stop it when boarding. Systems are often equipped with a platform, from which one can climb into the raised swing.
Systems often have 4–6 ship swings axially lined up so that only the first and last swing have oblique-axial supports. The supports of old systems are made of wood with iron fittings, later iron profiles were used, and now aluminum profile tubes. Illumination and pictures above the axis decorate the facility, but also make rocking more exciting.
Ship swings are the only rides that are operated only by the muscle strength of the users themselves.
Overturning ship swing
An association from Mühlheim am Main is committed to restoring and maintaining a rollover swing from 1949.
The "Dietesheimer Schiffschaukel eV" is represented at folk festivals and also rents the rollover ship swing.
All proceeds go directly to the restoration and operation of the swing ship. The employees are association members who all work on a voluntary basis.
All-round swings
All-round swings, the 360 ° rollover is only possible if the space above the axis is free and without a stop. Sometimes only one or two swings in a system allow all-round swings.
In order to create a rollover with muscle power, you need body weight, strength, technique and, in the case of 2 people in the ship, good teamwork and of course a swing and a brake, both of which allow the rollover.
With foot bindings in a 4 m high ship swing, Jochen Schweizer managed the first rollover within 42 seconds with three pushes from outside and 16 half swings.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ On the sinking of the ship swing , Süddeutsche Zeitung of June 21, 2015, accessed on December 15, 2015.
- ↑ Folk festivals in Bavaria: On the sinking of the ship swings sueddeutsche.de, June 21, 2015, accessed June 7, 2019.
- ↑ Biebelnheimer Kersche-Curb from July 1st to 2nd, 2017 nachrichtenblatt-nieder-olm.de, June 29, 2017, accessed June 7, 2019. Page 18. - System for children with 6 ship swings and a pendulum length of almost 3 m.
- ^ Dietesheimer Schiffschaukel eV
- Jump the star: Teamwork on the ship swing | Game 5 | Joko & Klaas versus ProSieben June 5, 2019, accessed June 6, 2019. - Video (12:24), at 11:54 am, Schweizer is hanging on his legs, at 11:55 am the foot bindings can be seen on the square opposite.