Speed Monster - Hydraulic launch

In the Speed Monster roller coaster, the lift hill is replaced by a hydraulic launch. This technique was developed a few years ago for Cedar Point, Ohio, aiming for the worlds highest and fastest roller coaster, the Top Thrill Dragster, which opened in 2003, where the train reaches 200 km/h in 4 seconds. The energy needed for the SpeedMonster train to reach the top is stored before launch by compressing nitrogen to 300 times normal atmospheric pressure. During launch, the gas expands, forcing the hydraulic oil to reach the winch that catapults train and riders out of the station with sufficient speed to reach the top of the first hill. With this technique, high speed can be reached faster and in shorter time.

Read more about the gas pressure during launch.


The graph shows distance (m), speed (m/s) and acceleration (m/s2) during launch.
Related links:
http://physics.gu.se/LISEBERG/tf/speedmonster/launch.html
2007-08-02 AMP