Rotation

After revising and reinforcing last year's ride vehicle design, a rotational member was created to sit between the deck and pneumatic motion platform. This rotational member is fastened to the tops of the airbags and consists of the 2 rotational drive friction wheels, the ride vehicle electrical components, caster bearings, and an RWM turntable swivel section.

A universal eye joint that is attached to the rotational member slides vertically in a sleeve attached to the pneumatic motion base and takes the torque and shear loads that result from the ride vehicle rotation and motion base, allowing the inflatable actuators to individually impart vertical motion with respect to the deck without experiencing any lateral tearing movements.

The ride vehicle deck (which consists of the main body and seats) has a 4' diameter steel circle on the bottom which is the rotational surface that the friction wheels grip and the casters support. The deck is fastened to the rotational member by the turntable swivel section, allowing it to take the brunt of the load while the caster bearings (mounted on compliant rubber) provide stabilizing support when loading and unloading the ride vehicle and when the ride vehicle is tilting and rotating.