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How are submersible geared motors used in underwater amusement rides? Here's a Bauer Gear Motor customer success

November 2, 2023 BG Series Helical Geared Motor
Amusement Ride Boat Drives

What do you do when your underwater theme park ride has a failing motor?

A large theme park located in Williamsburg, Virginia needed replacement drives for use on one of its rides. The attraction features flat-bottom boats that move passengers along a shallow water canal through a series of dramatic scenes with special effects. The ride culminates with a 50 ft. drop down an 80 ft. chute into a splash pool.

Gear motors drive approximately 30 submersed, rotating rubber wheels that make contact with the bottom of the boats as they pass, propelling them through the canal. Nearly 100 photo-eye sensors monitor each boat’s position to ensure that proper spacing and safety levels are maintained. The sensors feed information into the master control room allowing the speed of each wheel drive to be adjusted or completely stopped in an emergency.

The problem was that, due to water ingress, the original geared motors installed on the ride were failing at an unacceptable rate, causing multiple, untimely shut downs that amounted to almost half of the first peak season. The situation was upsetting the park’s visitors.

Custom Bauer Gear Motor solution gets ride back up and running

To solve the problem, Bauer BG Series geared motors were selected to replace the failing competitor units. The modified BG50 units supplied feature IP 68 motor gearbox, brake sealing, shaft seals with stainless steel springs, and V4A stainless steel output shafts. A WIMES coating was also added to provide an extra level of corrosion protection.

The customer is very pleased with the Bauer solution since there have been no BG Series failures due to water ingress after more than three years on the job.

Listen to Bauer Gear Motor engineer Alex Flores describe this application success in more detail in an interview with Empowering Pumps


Bauer BG Series Gear Motor

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Highlights
  • BG Series compact, economical gear motors with high-tensile cast housings
  • Complies with NA and International standards, including NEMA, IEC, CSA, and CE
  • Torque rating to 18,500 Nm
  • IP 68 Enclosure
  • Pre-wired 10-meter cable
  • WIMES (Water Industry Mechanical and Electrical Specifications) compliant coating
Contact Information
Bauer Gear Motor
Flag of Germany
Germany
Phone
+49 (711) 3518-0
Website
www.bauergears.com