[jey]

Doesn't sound like they had any engineers. The article mentions only one engineering consultation just before it opened which warned that "a raft with three passengers weighing between 400 and 550 pounds could go airborne" and which was dismissed by the company.

[cmiles74]

I believe that same company also noted that the rafts were leaving the track.

That aside, while it's clear the person from the park that led the project was not any kind of engineer, I find it very unlikely that the slide was designed and built without the involvement of any licensed engineers.

Everytime an article related to the Volkswagen emissions scandal is mentioned, a finger is always pointed towards the software developers and it's hinted that they broke the law and should be responsible in some way. I am surprised a similar note isn't struck in this article with regards to the engineers that worked on this project.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-vw-...

[jey]

The article claims that Jeff Henry designed it entirely through trial-and-error methods without the involvement of any engineers. That sounds preposterous to me too, but it seems to be true.

[StillBored]

While this sounds good on the surface, much of engineering is pushing boundaries and just because an engineer has a formal education, a license and some simulation software doesn't mean they are going to build something that is safe.

I would trust physical models (aka trial and error) in this case just as much if not more than simulation models.

Turbulent water flow, varying weight/seating positions in a _rubber_ raft, varying friction as the raft bumps the walls, etc all are going to explode the model space. Combined with a general effort to push the envelope and create an exciting ride the basic seat of the pants (high-school) physics is going to set some boundaries on weight/angle/etc but the final details aren't necessarily going to be 100% accurate.

Worse, it wasn't the ride so much as the safety equipment which failed. Having a raft/etc come slightly off the track at the top of a hill like that is probably part of the design. I've been on other slides like that where you leave the surface for a bit only to be caught farther down (its pretty much guaranteed on roller coasters). I can see a PE making the same mistake, the ride is safe, but "just in case" lets throw some netting up to catch anyone so its absolutely impossible for them to be ejected. Hence my comment earlier about how master blaster still has the same kind of netting to this day, despite my own misgivings when I initially saw it years ago.