G-Forces
- One G is equal to the normal pull of earth’s gravity on the body.
- Modern-day ride designers employ a steady stream of advances to create new, unique, and safe amusement rides and attractions.
- Amusement ride manufacturers applied the industry's biodynamic knowledge (collected over years) as it relates to g-forces to the design and construction of rides to ensure a safe experience.
- While technological gains have led to the development of bigger and faster rides, overall g-force levels have generally remained the same because riders’ tolerance levels have not changed.
When discussing the effects of g-forces on a person who is on a ride, the duration of the g-force and a multitude of other variables must be considered. When it comes to the higher–g sections of amusement rides, exposure often lasts fractions of a second. Therefore, the rider does not experience any adverse effects. Blackouts and other health issues associated with Gs require exposure to g-forces which are either greater in magnitude or of much longer duration than those achieved by today’s amusement rides.
- A study by Murray Allen, MD, Ian Weir-Jones, P. Eng, PhD, and several other doctors and engineers was published in the November 1994 edition of Spine.
- The study “found that in one event of daily activity, the vector acceleration of 10.4 g was experienced uneventfully.”
- Our bodies are exposed to greater gravitational pull during our everyday lives than that of an amusement park ride.
Examples of everyday gravitational forces:
| Everyday Action |
Gravitational Forces |
|---|
| Sneeze |
2.9 |
| Cough |
3.5 |
| Crowd Jostle |
3.6 |
| Slap on the Back |
4.1 |
| Hop off a Step |
8.1 |
| Plop Down in a Chair |
10.1 |
- At least five independent scientific reviews have analyzed the issue of amusement ride g-forces, and all five have concluded: The rotational accelerations experienced by the head during rides pose no risk of brain injury to the general populace.
- A focus simply and strictly on the matter of g-forces or height or speed is wholly inadequate when discussing the physical experience of riding a roller coaster or any other amusement ride.
- These reviews demonstrate that the dynamic characteristics of the interaction between ride and rider is far below even the minimum levels associated with brain injury.
- ASTM International has incorporated g-force limits into its ride safety standards that guide the amusement industry.
