Bolliger & Mabillard

Last updated

Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc.
Company typePrivate
Industry Roller coaster design
Founded1988
Founders
  • Walter Bolliger
  • Claude Mabillard
Headquarters
Monthey
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Walter Bolliger (CEO)
  • Claude Mabillard (VP)
  • Kim Jent (Structural engineer)
  • Sophie Bolliger (VP/Head of Sales)
Products
Number of employees
37 (2012)
Website Official website

Bolliger & Mabillard, officially Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers, Inc. and often abbreviated B&M, is a roller coaster design consultancy based in Monthey, Switzerland. The company was founded in 1988 by engineers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard, both of whom had worked for Giovanola. [1]

Contents

B&M has pioneered several new ride technologies, most notably the inverted roller coaster [2] [3] and the box-section track. [4] In 2016, the company completed its 100th roller coaster. B&M currently produces ten types of coaster models: Stand-Up Coaster, Inverted Coaster, Floorless Coaster, Flying Coaster, Hyper Coaster, Dive Coaster, Sitting Coaster, Wing Coaster, Family Coaster, and most recently, the Surf Coaster. Though B&M has not used the term, the company has also manufactured three giga coasters.

History

Roots

Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard started working for Giovanola, a manufacturing company which supplied rides to Intamin, in the 1970s. During their time at Giovanola, they helped design the company's first stand-up roller coaster, Shockwave (at Six Flags Magic Mountain). They also worked on other projects, such as Z-Force (at Six Flags Great America). [5] Bolliger & Mabillard left Giovanola, but the company continued to use that track design; the company's roller coasters Goliath (at Six Flags Magic Mountain) and Titan (at Six Flags Over Texas), use a track style very similar to B&M's. [6] [7]

An inverted model with the curved drop, common on inverted roller coasters, Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure Batman The Ride SFGA.jpg
An inverted model with the curved drop, common on inverted roller coasters, Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure

Launch

In 1987, Giovanola underwent a change of management, and the pair decided to leave and create their own company. [5] At the time, B&M employed four people, including two draftsmen: Bolliger and Mabillard. When B&M was created, the pair had agreed not to make any more amusement attractions. [8] [9] However, Robert Mampe, Six Flags Great America's staff engineer, had worked with both men during the construction of Z-Force ; he contacted the newly-formed company and asked them to reconfigure the cars for its Giovanola-built, Intamin bobsled coaster, to be relocated from Six Flags Great Adventure. [10]

Following that project, Mampe asked the new company to design and build a stand-up roller coaster for Six Flags Great America, similar to Shockwave at Six Flags Magic Mountain. [10] B&M accepted the offer and hired two more draftsmen. But B&M had a problem regarding how and where to manufacture the track pieces for the roller coaster. With the favorable history of the work done by Clermont Steel Fabricators (on Vortex , Kings Island, and Shockwave , Six Flags Great America), Walter Bolliger went to the steel plant and asked if they would be interested in manufacturing the track. Clermont Steel Fabricators accepted, and to this day, manufactures all of B&M’s roller coaster track pieces for all of North America. [4] Now with a company to manufacture the track, B&M built its first roller coaster, a stand-up roller coaster, Iron Wolf , which opened in 1990 at Six Flags Great America. [8] [9] Two years later, Bolliger & Mabillard built another project for Six Flags Great America, Batman: The Ride , the world's first inverted roller coaster, which brought them to prominence in the industry. [11] [12]

Development

Bolliger & Mabillard also invented the Floorless Coaster [13] and the Dive Coaster. The company also built its first launched roller coaster, the Incredible Hulk , which is at Islands of Adventure. [14] In 2010, B&M unveiled its new Wing Coaster and premiered the prototype model, named Raptor , at Gardaland in 2011. [15] It has two seats on each side on the car that hang riders over the sides of the track. As of 2019 there are fifteen in operation. [15] In 2015, B&M constructed Thunderbird at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, its first in-house launched coaster. [16]

By 2010, B&M employed twelve engineers, twelve draftsmen and two draftswomen. [8] [9] The company has made other contributions to the roller coaster industry. The company built the trains for the Psyclone , a now-demolished wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The trains were later used on the park's Colossus wooden roller coaster (until it was refurbished by Rocky Mountain Construction), but were only used during October each year. The trains faced backward and usually raced against trains on the second track, which ran forward. [17]

In 2013, the company launched the construction of Banshee, the world's longest inverted roller coaster. [18] B&M supplied new trains for Steel Dragon 2000, built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing in 2000. [19] [20] As of 2012, Bolliger & Mabillard had 85 operating roller coasters worldwide. [2] Of these, twenty-two were listed among that year's Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards Top 50 Steel Coasters List for 2012 and five were in the top 10.

By 2016, Bolliger & Mabillard had completed its 100th coaster, and had built more roller coasters than any other manufacturer on the Golden Ticket Awards Steel Coasters list. [21]

Features

Raptor's cobra roll, a first for inverted roller coasters Raptor 05.JPG
Raptor's cobra roll, a first for inverted roller coasters

Bolliger & Mabillard currently manufactures ten different roller coaster styles: Stand-Up Coaster, Inverted Coaster, Floorless Coaster, Flying Coaster, Hyper Coaster, Dive Coaster, Sitting Coaster, Wing Coaster, Family Coaster and most recently, the Surf Coaster. [22] [23] Bolliger & Mabillard has been involved in developing new technologies and concepts in roller coasters almost since its inception. It has often worked with engineer Werner Stengel and with designers and management of client theme parks. [24] [25]

Lift hills

Diagram comparing a standard lift hill and the B&M pre-drop lift hill. Pre-drop.jpg
Diagram comparing a standard lift hill and the B&M pre-drop lift hill.

Early Bolliger & Mabillard coasters feature an element known as a "pre-drop", a short drop after the top of the lift hill and before the start of the first drop, designed to reduce stress on the lift chain. The flat section between the pre-drop and the first drop serves as a shelf to support the weight of the train, reducing related stresses on the chain. On most coasters without a pre-drop, the weight of the train tends to pull on the lift chain as it begins its descent because the latter half of the train is still being lifted by the chain. Pre-drops have not been used on the company's Dive or Flying coasters, or on hyper coasters built after 1999. [26] [27] OzIris at Parc Astérix was the first B&M inverted roller coaster that does not feature a pre-drop. [28] Ever since, no coaster built by B&M has featured a pre-drop [29] [30] because the chain accelerates to acquire the same speed as the train when it is being taken over by gravity after it passes the crest .

Trains

Most of Bolliger & Mabillard's roller coaster trains use four-abreast seating. Each car has one row of four seats, while the train length can vary between coasters. All of the company's coaster models, except the Dive Coaster, Wing Coaster, Family Inverted Coaster and Surf Coaster use this configuration. The Dive Coaster uses six, seven, eight or ten-abreast seating, with two or three rows of seats. For example, Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, uses ten seats in three rows, while Krake at Heide Park uses six-across seating in three rows. [31] On recent hyper coaster projects, B&M has used a new car design that has two rows of two seats; the two seats in the rear of the car pushed out from the centerline so that the four seats resemble a V formation. This formation has only been used on Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, Diamondback at Kings Island, Intimidator and Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya at PortAventura Park, in the resort PortAventura World. In 2013, B&M introduced a new car design that has two rows of two seats, however, they are not in a V formation. [19] [20]

All B&M hyper coasters use a type of restraint called a "T-bar" or "Clamshell" restraint, which consists of bar with a cushioned lap bar with two handles for riders to hold on to. This type of restraint generally does not use a seat belt, however seat belts have been added to Behemoth and Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, Diamondback and Orion at Kings Island, and Intimidator and Fury 325 at Carowinds. [32] Bolliger & Mabillard also uses over-the-shoulder restraints, in that the restraint is placed over the riders' shoulders and sits and extends to the riders' laps. This type of restraint is used on Dive, Inverted, Sitting, Flying, Floorless, Stand-up and Wing Coasters. [33] Bolliger & Mabillard has recently begun using a vest like over the shoulder restraint, which reduces headbanging found on the older, more common padded over the shoulder restraints. These have been met with some criticism from the coaster community, due to the nature in which they tighten during the ride; stapling riders to their seats, resulting in less airtime (negative g-forces) being felt.

CAD model of B&M's signature box-spined track BandMTrack.jpg
CAD model of B&M's signature box-spined track
B&M Friction Brakes Model B&M brakes.png
B&M Friction Brakes Model

Track

A notable feature of Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters is the box-section track. The running rails are connected to a box-section spine, instead of the circular spine used by other manufacturers. When a train travels around a box-section track, it creates a one-of-a-kind whooshing sound, which is sometimes nicknamed the “B&M roar” by roller coaster enthusiasts. However, on some Bolliger & Mabillard roller coasters, such as Talon at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom and GateKeeper at Cedar Point, the track is filled with a proprietary sound dampening material to reduce this noise. [34]

Also, depending on the model of the roller coaster, the track size can vary. Models such as the Flying, Wing and Dive Coaster have heavier trains which require a larger track size while models with lighter trains, such as the Stand-Up and Hyper Coaster, do not and use a smaller sized track. [4]

Brakes

As of 2016, Bolliger & Mabillard uses three types of braking systems: friction, magnetic, and water.

Friction brakes

When B&M was first founded, the linear magnetic eddy brake had yet to be developed, so it used friction brakes as its main braking system. On the train, pads are fitted on the vehicle chassis between the wheel assemblies. On the brakes, similar pads are connected to steel supports. When the pads on the train come into contact with the brakes, friction is created which slows the train. [35] Beginning with Kumba in 1993, friction brakes have also been used as trim brakes that regulate the speed of the train while it is still navigating the course. [36]

SheiKra's splashdown element Patent for water breaks for Bolliger+Mabbilard SheiKra (Busch Gardens Africa) 03.jpg
SheiKra's splashdown element
Patent for water breaks for Bolliger+Mabbilard Bolliger + Mabbilard Water Breaks.png
Patent for water breaks for Bolliger+Mabbilard

Magnetic brakes

Magnetic brakes provide smoother deceleration than friction brakes; most B&M roller coasters built after 2001 (starting with Nitro) have at least one set of magnetic brakes. Magnetic brakes do not make contact with the train. Metal fins that run parallel to the train are fitted on the vehicle chassis between the wheel assemblies. As the fins pass through the brakes, the magnetic field created by the brakes slows the train. Magnetic brakes have also been used as an alternate type of trim brake on B&M roller coasters such as Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland. [37]

Water brakes

Water brakes were first introduced on SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2005. [38] Water brakes can only be used when a splashdown element, in which a body of water surrounds a section of track, is present within the layout of the roller coaster. When scoops on the last car of each train come in contact with the surrounding water, the train slows down and the water is sprayed several feet into the air behind it. [39]

Notable roller coasters

Vortex at Carowinds, a Stand-up Coaster model Vortex (Carowinds) 02.JPG
Vortex at Carowinds, a Stand-up Coaster model
Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model Leviathan Hammerhead Turn.jpg
Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model
Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure, an Inverted Coaster model Batman (Corkscrew) - Six Flags Great Adventure.JPG
Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great Adventure, an Inverted Coaster model
Dragon Khan at PortAventura Park, a Sitting Coaster model Rollercoaster dragon khan universal port aventura spain.jpg
Dragon Khan at PortAventura Park, a Sitting Coaster model
Oblivion at Alton Towers, a Dive Coaster model AltonTowers-Oblivion.JPG
Oblivion at Alton Towers, a Dive Coaster model
Hydra at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a floorless coaster model Hydra (Jo-Jo Roll).JPG
Hydra at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a floorless coaster model
Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model 900behe.jpg
Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, a Hyper Coaster model
Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, a Flying Coaster model SeaWorld Manta 1.JPG
Manta at SeaWorld Orlando, a Flying Coaster model
Raptor at Gardaland, first Wing Coaster model Raptor Gardaland 2011.jpg
Raptor at Gardaland, first Wing Coaster model

According to the Roller Coaster DataBase, Bolliger & Mabillard has built 127 roller coasters since its founding in 1988, [40] beginning with Iron Wolf, which opened at Six Flags Great America in 1990. [41] Some have either been relocated, renamed or closed. In North America, B&M coaster designs are manufactured by Ohio company Clermont Steel Fabricators. [42] [43] [4]

NameModelParkCountryOpenedStatusRef
Batman: The Ride Inverted Coaster Six Flags Great America United States1992Operating [12]
Vortex Stand-Up Coaster Carowinds United States1992Operating [44]
Flight Deck
Formerly Top Gun		Inverted Coaster California's Great America United States1993Operating [45]
Kumba Sitting Coaster Busch Gardens Tampa United States1993Operating [46]
Diavlo Inverted Coaster Himeji Central Park Japan1994Operating [47]
Nemesis Reborn
Formerly Nemesis		Inverted Coaster Alton Towers United Kingdom1994Operating [48]
Raptor Inverted Coaster Cedar Point United States1994Operating [49]
Alpengeist Inverted Coaster Busch Gardens Williamsburg United States1997Operating [50]
Great White Inverted Coaster SeaWorld San Antonio United States1997Operating [51]
Oblivion Dive Coaster Alton Towers United Kingdom1998Operating [52]
The Riddler's Revenge Stand-Up Coaster Six Flags Magic Mountain United States1998Operating [53]
Afterburn
Formerly Top Gun - The Jet Coaster		Inverted Coaster Carowinds United States1999Operating [54]
Medusa
Formerly Bizarro		Floorless Coaster Six Flags Great Adventure United States1999Operating [55]
Incredible Hulk Sitting Coaster Universal Islands of Adventure United States1999Operating [56]
Dragon Challenge
Formerly Dueling Dragons		Inverted Coaster Universal Islands of Adventure United States1999Removed [57]
Raging Bull Hyper Coaster Six Flags Great America United States1999Operating [58]
Georgia Scorcher Stand-Up Coaster Six Flags Over Georgia United States1999Operating [59]
Apollo's Chariot Hyper Coaster Busch Gardens Williamsburg United States1999Operating [60]
Kraken
Formerly Kraken Unleashed		Floorless Coaster SeaWorld Orlando United States2000Operating [61]
Medusa Floorless Coaster Six Flags Discovery Kingdom United States2000Operating [62]
Superman: Krypton Coaster Floorless Coaster Six Flags Fiesta Texas United States2000Operating [63]
Nitro Hyper Coaster Six Flags Great Adventure United States2001Operating [64]
Wildfire Sitting Coaster Silver Dollar City United States2001Operating [65]
Galactica
Formerly Air		Flying Coaster Alton Towers United Kingdom2002Operating [66]
Batman: The Dark Knight Floorless Coaster Six Flags New England United States2002Operating [67]
Silver Star Hyper Coaster Europa Park Germany2002Operating [68]
Superman: Ultimate Flight Flying Coaster Six Flags Over Georgia United States2002Operating [69]
Vampire Inverted Coaster La Ronde Canada2002Operating [70]
Nemesis Inferno Inverted Coaster Thorpe Park United Kingdom2003Operating [71]
Superman: Ultimate Flight Flying Coaster Six Flags Great America United States2003Operating [72]
Superman: Ultimate Flight Flying Coaster Six Flags Great Adventure United States2003Operating [73]
Hydra the Revenge Floorless Coaster Dorney Park United States2005Operating [74]
SheiKra Dive Coaster Busch Gardens Tampa United States2005Operating [75]
Black Mamba Inverted Coaster Phantasialand Germany2006Operating [76]
Goliath Hyper Coaster La Ronde Canada2006Operating [77]
Goliath Hyper Coaster Six Flags Over Georgia United States2006Operating [78]
Patriot Inverted Coaster Worlds of Fun United States2006Operating [79]
Tatsu Flying Coaster Six Flags Magic Mountain United States2006Operating [80]
Griffon Dive Coaster Busch Gardens Williamsburg United States2007Operating [81]
Hollywood Dream: The Ride Hyper Coaster Universal Studios Japan Japan2007Operating [82]
Phaethon Inverted Coaster Gyeongju World South Korea2007Operating [83]
Behemoth Hyper Coaster Canada's Wonderland Canada2008Operating [84]
Dominator
Formerly Batman: Knight Flight		Floorless Coaster Kings Dominion
Geauga Lake 		United States2008
2000 to 2007		Operating [85]
[86]
Goliath
Formerly Batman: The Ride
Formerly Gambit		Inverted Coaster Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Six Flags New Orleans
Thrill Valley 		United States2008
2003 to 2005
1995 to 2002		Operating [87]
[88]
[89]
Diamondback Hyper Coaster Kings Island United States2009Operating [90]
Manta Flying Coaster SeaWorld Orlando United States2009Operating [91]
Thunder Striker
Formerly Intimidator		Hyper Coaster Carowinds United States2010Operating [92]
Raptor Wing Coaster Gardaland Italy2011Operating [93]
Leviathan Hyper Coaster Canada's Wonderland Canada2012Operating [94]
Shambhala Hyper Coaster PortAventura Park Spain2012Operating [95]
Swarm Wing Coaster Thorpe Park United Kingdom2012Operating [96]
Wild Eagle Wing Coaster Dollywood United States2012Operating [97]
X-Flight Wing Coaster Six Flags Great America United States2012Operating [98]
GateKeeper Wing Coaster Cedar Point United States2013Operating [99]
Banshee Inverted Coaster Kings Island United States2014Operating [100]
Rougarou
Formerly Mantis
Floorless Coaster
Formerly Stand-Up Coaster
 Cedar Point United States2015
1996 to 2014
Operating [101]
Thunderbird Wing Coaster (Launch) Holiday World United States2015Operating [102]
Fury 325 Hyper Coaster Carowinds United States2015Operating [103]
Mako Hyper Coaster SeaWorld Orlando United States2016Operating [104]
Valravn Dive Coaster Cedar Point United States2016Operating [105]
Patriot
Formerly Vortex
Floorless Coaster
Formerly Stand-Up Coaster		 California's Great America United States2017
1991 to 2016
Operating [106]
Valkyria Dive Coaster Liseberg Sweden2018Operating [107]
Yukon Striker Dive Coaster Canada's Wonderland Canada2019Operating [108]
Firebird
Formerly Apocalypse
Formerly Iron Wolf
Floorless Coaster
Formerly Stand-Up Coaster		 Six Flags America
Six Flags Great America 		United States2019
2012 to 2018
1990 to 2011
Operating [41]
[109]
Candymonium Hyper Coaster Hersheypark United States2020Operating [110]
Orion Hyper Coaster Kings Island United States2020Operating [111]
Decepticoaster Sitting Coaster Universal Studios Beijing China2021Operating [112]
Emperor Dive Coaster SeaWorld San Diego United States2022Operating [113]
Dr. Diabolical’s Cliffhanger Dive Coaster Six Flags Fiesta Texas United States2022Operating [114]
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster Surf Coaster (Stand Up) SeaWorld Orlando United States2023Operating [115]
Mandrill Mayhem Wing Coaster (shuttle) Chessington World of Adventures United Kingdom2023Operating [116]
Iron Menace Dive Coaster Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom United States2024Operating [117]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leviathan (Canada's Wonderland)</span> Roller coaster

Leviathan is a steel roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. Located in the Medieval Faire section of the park, the Hyper Coaster model from Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard is the first roller coaster manufactured by the company to exceed a height of 91.5 metres (300 ft), putting it in a class of roller coasters commonly referred to as giga. At 1,672 metres (5,486 ft) long, 93.3 metres (306 ft) tall, and with a top speed of 148 kilometres per hour (92 mph), Leviathan is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada, taking the records previously held by Behemoth on the opposite side of the park. As of July 2020, Leviathan is ranked as the seventh-tallest roller coaster in the world, the sixth tallest coaster by drop height, and the fourth-tallest traditional lift-style coaster in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-Flight (Six Flags Great America)</span> Roller coaster in Gurnee, Illinois

X-Flight is a steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Designed and built by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride opened as the fourth Wing Coaster in the world and the second in the United States on May 16, 2012. It replaced both the Splashwater Falls and Great American Raceway attractions. The 3,000-foot-long (910 m) roller coaster features barrel rolls, high-speed drops, and a signature fly-through element, where the train narrowly misses a support structure – designed to look like an air traffic control tower – as it passes through an opening known as a keyhole element.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OzIris</span> Roller coaster at Parc Astérix

OzIris is a steel inverted roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard operating at Parc Astérix in France since 7 April 2012. It is only one of two Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coasters in France, the other being The Monster at Walygator Parc. It is named after the Character Iris from the French comic Asterix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Scrapper</span> Roller coaster

Sky Scrapper is a flying roller coaster at World Joyland in Wujin, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China. Sky Scrapper was one of World Joyland's opening day attractions, officially opening on April 30, 2011. The 2,805.1-foot-long (855.0 m) ride stands 131.3 feet (40.0 m) tall, and features a top speed of 54.7 mph (88.0 km/h). Designed by Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard, Sky Scrapper restrains riders in the prone position and features five inversions.

References

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