Improper gear assembly can have disastrous results from the smallest of mechanisms to the most enormous. When one thinks of gear assembly, a few things may come to mind. From handed clocks and automobiles to helicopters and roller coasters, gears play an integral role in each machine’s function. With gears being so important, it is apparent that improper assembly of such gears could result in the need to replace a favorite family heirloom or be the biggest tragedy imaginable, costing people their lives.
A gear is a part in a mechanism or transmission that works with its similar part or parts in order to transmit activity from one part to another to determine direction and/or power while performing a specific role. In nonprofessional terms, it means the gears make the machine go. When all these gears are working properly the result is a finely-tuned piece of machinery that will efficiently perform the task for which it is designed. When gears are not properly assembled the results can be devastating. For example:
“Sunday, April 20, 1997 – At Bell’s Amusement Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one person was killed and five others were injured when two roller coaster cars collided on the park’s Wildcat roller coaster. The accident happened as a car was nearing the top of the lift hill. The mechanism holding the car onto the track failed, causing the car to roll back down the hill and crash into another car which was approaching the chain lift. The victim, a 14-year-old boy, was thrown from the car during the crash and struck his head on a steel support. Two other boys were also treated at a local hospital. The Wildcat had been in operation at Bell’s Amusement Park since 1974. It was inspected just two weeks prior to the accident.”1
This is one example of countless accidents that ensue because the gears in the machinery were not correctly functioning due to problems with assembly. Even more surprising was that the roller coaster was inspected just a couple of weeks before the accident. How could they have missed the problem? Shockingly enough, business owners will often times choose what they think is the most cost-effective maintenance without any real forethought about the mistakes that could occur, that is, until a tragedy strikes.
HI-TEK Balancing offers exceptional service on gear assembly and for over a decade has personally seen to their excellence and proper performance, becoming masters in their field.
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1Provided by: www.rideaccidents.com
