How do Roller Coasters Stop at the End of the Track?
Theoretically, you could design a roller coaster that would use up all its potential energy at the exact point where it loops back to the start of the ride. The trains themselves, after all, have no brakes. After being towed up the initial hill, they are propelled strictly from converting potential energy to kinetic energy. Once all the potential energy has been changed to kinetic energy, the train either stops or must be towed up another hill.
But in reality roller coasters use so-called "trim brakes." The train will go faster if there are heavier passengers on it, and slower if there are lighter passengers on it. Weather, believe it or not, can also affect the speed of the train. Trim brakes are adjustable so that each train can be made to travel at the same speed. Most modern coasters have automatically controlled trim brakes.
Roller coasters are also equipped with what are called fin brakes. Like with a regular car, the train is slowed by friction between parts of the brakes. With fin brakes, one part of the brake is on the track, and the other part of it is attached to the bottom part of the train. The brake segment of the track has a groove between the brake pads. The brake fins, which are the part of the brakes underneath the train, run through the groove when the train goes over the brake segment of the track. On the track is also a compressed air mechanism to open and close the gap between the grooves. The more closed they are, the tighter they grip the fins, and the more open they are, the more loosely they grip the fins.
Finally, the brakes in the station where the train comes to a stop are similar to the trim brakes. These brakes also have a bar running parallel to the tracks that is used to release the lap bars of the train when the ride comes to a stop, and to lock the lap bars of the train when the next load of passengers are ready to go.
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