Battlestar Galactica enters final testing stage

Battlestar Galactica enters final testing stage

The world's tallest duelling roller coaster, the Battlestar Galactica, is slated to re-open in Singapore by the first half of 2011.

The ride is undergoing final checks, which involves day-time stress-testing.

It has been nine long months since its shutdown. But theme park junkies can soon look forward to hurtling down speeds of 90 kilometres per hour at zero gravity force.

Battlestar Galactica, one of the main attractions at Universal Studios Singapore, was shut down just weeks after its opening this year.

On March 25 during a routine test, a failure was detected on one of the seats. No one was on the ride at the time.

But as a precaution, Universal Studios carried out comprehensive tests - including filling cars with dummies to simulate human passenger weight.

Universal Studios Singapore says hot day and cooler night temperatures affect - very differently - the expansion and contraction of metal, composite and rubber components of a ride.

These temperature swings can change the wear rates and friction levels of components. These are factors which affect operation and maintenance schedules.

The fault detected was attributed to fatigue cracks in a welded component of the seat's support structure - the part which attaches the coaster's seat to its frame.

As the fault was inherent to the design, the flaw was not detected during the computer-generated design stage of the ride. To rectify the problem, every single component of the ride has been taken apart, examined and then re-assembled.

All welded components for the seats have since been replaced with new machined parts.

Guests were excited over the prospect of the ride's re-opening.

"Can go and have fun. Will bring my girlfriend ... here too," one said.

"They'll be more willing to come because a lot of them ... don't want to come because they say the rides are not fully open," another said.

A third added: "Maybe we're gonna come back next year because my daughter likes to ride on the roller coaster."

After the end-stage testing is completed, authorities will still have to re-certify the ride before it re-opens next year.

-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-