High-tech meets thrills

fischer SensorBolts monitor the safety of the roller coaster “blue fire Megacoster”

High-tech meets thrills

Construction monitoring solution in pilot operation

In Europa-Park in Rust near Freiburg, Germany, the fastening expert fischer is testing its construction monitoring solution in pilot operation. Five screw connections on the seat consoles of the “blue fire Megacoaster” roller coaster were supplemented by SensorBolts, which have integrated force measurement and transmission technology. As a result, the products are tested in pilot use under very demanding operating conditions. High forces are repeatedly applied to the roller coaster seat bolt connections. If the fischer Construction Monitoring solution proves its worth in the project, it can expand the security concept of Europa-Park in the future.

In close cooperation with TÜV Süd, SensorBolts were successfully added to five seat bolt connections of a train on the “blue fire Megacoster” roller coaster in Europa-Park. These are each equipped with a SensorNode, which reliably transfers the measured values from the screws to a gateway installed in Europa-Park. From there, the data arrives end-to-end encrypted in a cloud storage and is made accessible via a customer-specific dashboard.

Effect of high G-forces on the joints

The SensorBolts allow continuous monitoring and thus guarantee the permanent reliability of the bolted connections on the seat consoles. System operators can conveniently view the status of the fastening points at any time via PC or smartphone. With the SensorBolt and SensorNode products in the pre-series stage, the fastening expert fischer carries out a demanding suitability test here. Europa-Park is testing the pioneering solution for its practicality.

Daniel Machauer, Project Manager at fischer Deutschland Vertriebs GmbH, explains: "With our SensorBolts, the bolting points of the seat consoles are continuously monitored at all times, even remotely, and precise data on their condition is collected. The aim is to accurately and permanently measure forces arising from recurring loads, which are particularly exerted on the connections by passengers and high G-forces." 

Property profile “blue fire megacoster”

Duration:
2:20 minutes
Roadway opening
April, 2009
Maximum Capacity
1,450 people per hour, with 20 guests per train (4 trains)
Track length and profile
1,056 m long track with 38 m height difference with four overhead elements
Speed of rotation
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds
Forces
3.8 G acceleration forces (3.8 times your own body weight)

High demands on technology and safety

The “blue fire Megacoster” roller coaster, opened on 4 April 2009 in the Icelandic theme area of Europa-Park, offers thrills with acceleration forces of up to 3.8 G acting on the body - you can feel 3.8 times your own body weight. Four overhead elements ensure adrenaline kicks on the 1,056 m long track with a height difference of 38 m - including the highest looping of a catapult track in Europe and a spectacular 360° propeller. The LSM actuator accelerates people from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds. Up to 20 guests can sit on the train and take part in the 2:20 minute journey. In a typical operation with four trains in operation, the theoretical capacity is around 1,450 people per hour.

"In addition to the high G-forces of up to 3.8 G, the bolted connections are also affected by permanent vibrations and the strong magnetic fields when the roller coasters are launched. In addition, the products are exposed to weather influences due to operation outdoors," adds Dr. Daniel Rill, Product Manager Connected Products at fischer. "If our SensorBolts prove themselves in these demanding conditions, the prospect is that they will be used on a larger scale in other applications in Europa-Park in the future. In the longer term, the aim is to make the construction monitoring solution an integral part of the safety concept of the popular amusement park through data integration." 
The integration of our SensorBolts into safety concepts enables even more targeted planning of maintenance measures.
Felix Düllo, Product Manager fischer Germany

Structural health monitoring solution with future prospects

Felix Düllo, Product Manager at fischer Deutschland Vertriebs GmbH, emphasises: "The integration of our SensorBolts into safety concepts enables even more targeted planning of maintenance measures. This reduces downtime and costs - while improving the already high safety requirements and the long service life of the systems."

The pilot project in the Europa-Park came about after a successful product presentation, in which the advantages of fischer sensor technology were convincing. Daniel Machauer explains: "We are very pleased that Europa-Park has decided to pilot our sensor innovation. The high quality, innovative technology and the possibility of real-time monitoring of safety-relevant connections speak for our fischer Construction Monitoring."

Building and plant operations of tomorrow

“With our Construction Monitoring, we are advancing Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) - rightly a growing trend in the construction industry, driven by technological advances and the demand for safe, sustainable and economical construction operations,” emphasises Martin Neumann, Head of Connected Products. The SensorBolt is the latest addition to the fischer portfolio of digitally equipped fasteners, which also includes the SensorAnchor anchor rod and the SensorDisc washer. These IoT-connected products enable the documentation and monitoring of structures and facilities - at any time, even remotely.


Easy monitoring

“Our innovation combines an intuitive monitoring application and strong, sensor-integrated fasteners in a smart way,” emphasises Martin Neumann. "The condition of fastening points can be easily monitored at any time via PC or smartphone - this increases maintenance efficiency, enables cost savings, increases safety, reduces downtime and extends the useful life of structures and equipment. We look forward to continuing to prove the advantages of our construction monitoring solution in practice - and unlocking many other applications in pilot deployments."

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