High-tech meets thrill

Construction Monitoring Solution in Pilot Operation

At Europa-Park in Rust near Freiburg, Germany, the fastening expert fischer is testing its Construction Monitoring solution in pilot operation. Five fastenings on the seat consoles of the roller coaster "blue fire Megacoaster" were supplemented with SensorBolts, which feature integrated force measurement and transmission technology. This allows the products to be tested under very demanding operating conditions during the pilot phase. The roller coaster seat fastenings are subjected to recurring high forces. If the fischer Construction Monitoring solution proves successful in this project, it can expand the safety concept of Europa-Park in the future.

Five seat fastenings of a train on the "blue fire Megacoaster" roller coaster at Europa-Park were successfully supplemented with SensorBolts in close coordination with TÜV Süd. Each SensorBolt is equipped with a SensorNode, which securely transmits the measurement data from the bolts to a gateway installed at Europa-Park. From there, the data is end-to-end encrypted into a cloud storage and made accessible via a customer-specific dashboard.

Impact of High G-Forces on the Connections

The SensorBolts enable continuous monitoring and thus guarantee the long-term reliability of the screw connections on the seat brackets. Facility operators can conveniently check the condition of the fastening points at any time via PC or smartphone. With the products SensorBolt and SensorNode in the pre-series stage, the fastening expert fischer is conducting a demanding suitability test here. Europa-Park is testing the pioneering solution for its practical suitability.

Daniel Machauer, Project Manager at fischer Deutschland Vertriebs GmbH, explains: „Our SensorBolts continuously monitor the screw points of the seat brackets remotely at any time and collect precise data on their condition. The goal is to accurately and permanently measure forces arising from recurring loads, which particularly affect the connections due to passengers and high G-forces.“

Project Profile "blue fire Megacoaster"

Travel time:

2:20 minutes

Roadway Opening

April 2009

Maximum utilization capacity

1,450 people per hour, with 20 guests per train (4 trains)

Route length and profile

1,056 m long section with 38 m height difference with four overhead elements

Speed

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 roller coaster "blue fire Megacoaster," opened on April 4, 2009, in the Icelandic themed area of Europa-Park, offers thrills with acceleration forces of up to 3.8 G acting on the body – you feel 3.8 times your own body weight. Four inverted elements provide adrenaline kicks on the 1,056 m long track with a height difference of 38 m – including the highest loop of a launch coaster in Europe and a spectacular 360° corkscrew. In just 2.5 seconds, the LSM drive accelerates riders from 0 to 100 km/h. Up to 20 guests sit in the train and take part in the 2:20 minute ride. Under typical operation with four active trains, the theoretical capacity is around 1,450 persons per hour.

“In addition to the high G-forces of up to 3.8 G, permanent vibrations and strong magnetic fields during the launch of the roller coaster trains also act on the screw connections. Furthermore, the products are exposed to weather influences due to outdoor operation,” adds Dr. Daniel Rill, Product Manager Connected Products at fischer. “If our SensorBolts prove themselves under these demanding conditions, there is potential to use them more extensively in other applications within Europa-Park in the future. The long-term goal is to make the Construction Monitoring solution a fixed 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, emphasizes: „The integration of our SensorBolts into safety concepts enables even more targeted planning of maintenance measures. This reduces downtime and costs – while simultaneously improving the already high safety requirements and the long service life of the systems.“

The pilot project at Europa-Park came about following a successful product presentation, where the advantages of fischer sensor technology were convincing. Daniel Machauer explains: „We are very pleased that Europa-Park chose to pilot our sensor innovation. The high quality, innovative technology, and the possibility of real-time monitoring of safety-relevant connections were decisive for our fischer Construction Monitoring.“

Infrastructure and Facility Operation of Tomorrow

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

Effortless Monitoring

“Our innovation combines an intuitive monitoring application with powerful, sensor-integrated fasteners in a clever way,” emphasizes 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, enhances safety, reduces downtime, and extends the service life of structures and facilities. We look forward to continuing to demonstrate the benefits of our Construction Monitoring solution in practice – and to unlocking many more applications through pilot deployments.”