Maintenance and inspections of the amusement rides
Fabbri Rides has long experience in the construction and maintenance of amusement rides can assist you in all activities related to periodical maintenance, inspections, local approvals, certifications, repairs, modification and spare parts thanks to a series of independent expert technicians in the field of amusement park rides.
International technical reference standards
The amusement rides are very complex machines that require careful maintenance over time to ensure the highest possible level of passenger safety. The activities must be planned taking into account the most up-to-date international standards in this sector such as the European standard EN-13814 (which has replaced the old German standard DIN-4112) and the International standard ISO-17842.
The new edition of technical standard EN-13814 contains two new parts: the second part details the activities that must be carried out by the operator responsible for the ride for safe operation and maintenance, this information is in addition to what is already stated in the operation and maintenance manual for your ride; the third part details the activities that must be carried out by the inspector who must carry out the first approval and periodic (annual) approvals, which also include the non-destructive testing of the welds of the metal structures.
Regular maintenance and service activities (check list)
The operator directly carries out weekly lubrication activities, replacement of worn components and functional checks. We can assist you with the analysis of critical points and the creation of daily and weekly checklists. If you are the manager of an amusement park, we can train your staff to understand the most important technical aspects and to set up your own in-house technical department.
On an annual basis, the operator must schedule a complete inspection of the ride by taking into account the importance of certain critical components for passenger safety. For example, in roller-coaster type rides, the passenger vehicle is considered always a critical element and must be dismantled annually to check components (such as wheels and bearings) and metal structures (such as axles and steel frame). These activities are generally supervised by an engineer who determines which components are to be subjected to non-destructive testing (NDT).
Non-destructive testing (NDT) refers to a series of checks that are carried out without the need to damage the part being checked. Among non-destructive testing, those most commonly used for the inspection of rides include magnetic testing (MT) and ultrasonic testing (UT). These activities must be carried out by a person who is certified for these activities and has good experience in the field. Before carrying out the inspections, it is necessary to examine the ride and determine the critical points that need to be checked, then carry out an initial visual inspection (VT) also by dismantling any decorations or panels that cover access to the metal structures.
Repairs, modifications and extraordinary maintenance activities
Rides often require major maintenance activities due to failures as a result of construction defects or excessive wear. This may concern the main steel structure, the drive system or the passenger safety system. Fabbri Rides can assist you in identifying the cause of the failure, analysing possible solutions, designing and manufacture the necessary parts or components, assembly and final testing by issuing a technical report that you will keep in the ride’s logbook.
We would like to remind you that any modification to a safety-related component, including any repair that deviates from the original design (e.g. by adding reinforcements) and including the overall refurbishment of the attraction, must be carried out by competent persons including: (i) analysis of the defect causes, (ii) design of the chosen solution, (iii) calculation report of the modification, (iv) execution of the work using a quality procedure, (v) assembly and testing of components, (vi) final technical report. For most of these activities, the term ‘competent person’ means a mechanical engineer.
Special spare parts
It is often not possible to complete maintenance tasks due to the lack of special spare parts that are no longer available from the original manufacturers of your ride. Fabbri Ride assists you with the design and construction of any spare parts needed to restore the original operation.
Periodical inspections, approvals and certifications
International standards require rides to be fully inspected and certified a first time when entering a state to verify both structure calculation and operation. Technical Standard EN-13814 precisely defines the activities that must be followed, including a non-destructive inspection of the metal structures of the carousel.
The same regulations require that each merry-go-round be inspected and certified every subsequent year to verify that it is still suitable for safe use with the public. Modifications and repairs carried out will also be checked during this inspection.
All inspections and certifications must be carried out by an engineer who is experienced and familiar with the specific international standards. The most important activity is carried out directly on the ride with a visual check, a function test and the verification of passenger evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.
Mr. Alberto Fabbri graduated in the year 1994 as Mechanical Engineering in Bologna (Italy) with particular skills of mechanical design, calculation and welding. In year 2001 specialization master as European Welding Engineer (EWE) by IIS (Istituto Italiano della Saldatura), Genova, Italy. Throughout the following years he has been involved in the leisure and amusement industry and has always strived to improve his knowledge in the ever changing technology in amusement and entertainment business, including Design, Manufacturing, Inspection.
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