How Does Top Spin Ride Work?

Top Spin ride, also called Space Travel ride, is one of the most popular thrill rides in amusement parks or theme parks. It does circular motion and autorotation move around horizontal axis. When this amusement ride starts to work by forth and back swing, passengers can get a sense of weightlessness, just like travelling in space. Thus, it is deeply loved by young people, especially by teenagers.

Top Spin ride produced by Sinorides (a technical amusement rides manufacturer in China) consists of two upright support arms, two mechanical sweep arms connected by a steel rod, and a cabin containing two rows of back-to-back seats.

The sweep arms generate motion through three-phase AC electric motors connected to the middle of the sweep arms through a gearbox. In order to help balance the weight of the cabin and riders, there are two counterweights connected to the opposite ends of the sweep arms.

The cabin itself is free to swing, independent of the sweep arms due to bearings between the connections. However, the sweep arms contain a pneumatic caliper, which operates much like the brake system on a car. When desired, the sweep arms can lock the rotation of the cabin for loading/unloading, or part of the ride program where the cabin is held at a certain position.

The purpose of this ride is to generate swinging and flipping maneuvers for the thrill of the passengers. For most ride cycles, the sweep arms hoist the cabin to a specific height. At that point, the rotation of the cabin is locked, and the sweep arms begin rotating to build up energy. The cabin is then unlocked, and free to swing or flip, creating dazzling visuals.