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Expedition Everest effects status watch
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
KeithVH
Well-Known Member
That is what I was saying. There is an arm (I called it a platform. Sorry.) that pushes the Yeti out. That is what supposedly has the crack. And it was here in WDWMagic that I found this out from the insiders here. But regardless of what I called it we are saying the same thing. Too much stress on the part and too expensive to keep fixing it since it will continue to break.
I get what y'all are saying but, as a mechanical engineer, I call Bravo Sierra like a zillion plus. I honestly cannot believe that whoever designed this didn't take such forces into account. That's like 2nd and 3rd year classes (Kinematics, Materials). It's not like the materials they used were unknown.
This I get. Makes total sense. Any other argument is just noise. Then again, this just seems to indicate incompetence and office politics rather than concern for the guest.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
I can’t speak to how much of the maintenance were actually a genuine surprise versus asking forgiveness instead of permission. As attractions get developed they go through operational review where the park reviews and approves of various design decisions. The whole point is to give input on operational and maintenance requirements, to make sure that things work with operating procedures and equipment that needs frequent maintenance are easy to access. I honestly would not be surprised if Imagineering kept Operations in the dark about the increase maintenance until it was too late with the hope that they would just deal with it because it is the signature show element.
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
The story I read was that the error that lead to the armature being insufficiently strong to withstand the forces was due to a programming error in the software they used to calculate it.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
I agree with your first paragraph, but you lost me on the second one.I mean, there NEVER is going to be a time where he will "fully feel like a threat".
You could say the same thing about Roller Coasters in general - are they really thrilling if you know you're going to come off just as safe as you were before? The answer, of course, is yes, because the experience makes you feel like you're in danger even though you're not. Most reasonable adults never think they're actually at risk of being eaten by the Carnotaurus (or Yeti), but the ride makes the effort to build the suspense so that you might feel like there's danger where there isn't any.
I just think Everest stages the reveals a little more gracefully than Dinosaur. By the end it almost feels like a Where's Waldo of Carnotaurus'. But to its point, some of those Carno figures are pretty impressive, and ALL of them move . . .
Pepper's Ghost
Well-Known Member
Touche (on behalf of the Yeti)! Excellent!!
I get your point, but in all fairness there have been many deaths on roller coasters over the years. The most recent number I could find was 52 from 1990-2004. Pretty sure no one has ever been eaten at AK by a Carnotaurus. Not sure about the Yeti though.
KeithVH
Well-Known Member
OK. That sorta make sense. Then again, when I learned to calculate force vectors, I used a blackboard and, at times, a Bowmar MX100. But I'm older than snot so I hate the whole "it's the computer's fault" thing . . .
FettFan
Well-Known Member
The post below is as close to "from the horse's mouth" as we will ever get. It is also worth noting that RedDad is a PE as well.
I've been meaning to post this for quite a while, but just haven't had time. Thanks to a recent reminder from @Master Yoda to try and shed some light on the Yeti debacle....
Ok, so back in September I was at a conference at WDW, and the wife decided to book a Dine With An Imagineer lunch at DHS. I skipped one of my educational sessions to do this, and we ended up with a 2-for-1. The main imagineer was a Show Design and Production manager, who was a DWAI veteran (and most recently involved in the Frozen Ever After project); the other guy was a mechanical engineer in charge of show quality, who was a newbie-in-training, at least when it came to these dinners. He explained to us that it was his job to do periodic "reviews" of the rides, and point out areas where show quality is falling below certain standards. He's also heavily involved in maintaining ride systems and animatronics. It was a fantastic experience, and we learned a lot about how things work behind the scenes, but nearing the end of our time, I (obviously) couldn't resist bringing up the Yeti.
Immediately upon my mentioning the Yeti, I could see that it was an obvious a sore spot for him. He stated that there have been multiple proposals put forth for repairing it, but none of the "big shots" have been on board. As for the specific problem, he mentioned that there are a couple of factors: flaws in the original "design calculations" (these were his words), particularly with regard to operational and maintenance conditions on such a large animatronic, and inability to perform proper maintenance on the Yeti. No mention of "shifting/failed foundations" as is often suggested. As a practicing structural engineer, I wanted to know whether this was the problem, and he indicated that the main issue is the animatronic itself.
The other factor is the ability to perform maintenance on the animatronic. I think this is the source of rumors that they "can't replace /fix it without opening up the mountain" rumors, but it's actually much simpler, and this issue ties into the first. He specifically talked about unanticipated stresses in parts of the animatronic due to lack of maintenance in other parts. If one of the motors in the yeti's elbow wears out or isn't functioning properly, but they continue to operate under those conditions, then higher stresses are transferred to the shoulder and chest, etc. My best guess regarding his comments about "incorrect calculations" is that he was referring to fatigue related problems in the robotic parts, and possibly in other structural supports.
The other major factor is that things have changed dramatically at WDW in the last few years regarding their compliance with OSHA standards for maintenance and fall protection. Any new work done to get the Yeti operational means that they have to update the design to meet these standards, so that ongoing maintenance on the animatronic can be safely performed. This would involve major upgrades to allow compliance with fall protection and other things related to maintenance workers.
It was encouraging at least to see how much it bothered him that it didn't work. He brought up the Universal dig re: their Kong animatronic (it moves...) and said that he and his colleagues all read blogs and other social media comments for research and to pick up on things they miss in their reviews. So, there you have it. Take it for what it's worth, but this guy was no bus driver...
DisneyTalks
Active Member
I’m worried they’ll rip this ride out or better yet reskin it (the Cheap Chapek way) into another IP
bcoachable
Well-Known Member
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
Yes. It was already said that getting to the Yeti and taking him out of the mountain was never an issue. He can be removed fairly easy.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
They're not going to.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
It's is not nor has it ever been something he can decide.
This^^^
Given his current role at the company, there is little he could do to actually fix this issue outside of making some kind of public cry that would throw Disney under the bus regarding this issue. That would be career suicide so I don't see that happening anytime soon.
G00fyDad
Well-Known Member
Still won't stop some yahoo who claims they have "connections' to mischaracterize the problem. Again. And again.