I was wondering, why use flanges in supports for coasters? What's important about flanges (aside from the fact that coasters have them in real life)? I did a Google Search and I couldn't really understand what's the use of flanges. Do flanges make supports stronger? Do they bolt many pieces of steel together? It's actually kinda complicated, at least to me.

Thanks!
nerdygeekrct

Supports are more than one piece and flanges hold those pieces together. It's actually quite simple if you think about it...

What if the client decides to have only one piece per support, something like unibody HTC phones and the Nokia Lumia 800? (unibody phones have a case that is only one piece, without a battery cover or a center band separating the front and the back part of the case) Does that make the coaster unstable?

It's not that it makes it unstable it's the fact of how big the support is, if the chailift's supports are one peice that's gonna be one long lime semi that'll be carrying at least over 30 tons.

Ok. Thanks night shot king!

You kind of scared me there, Think of rollercoatser supports as giant lego pieces that you put together. Here are a few pictures of Un-finished supports that stop at the flanges (where another section of that support is bolted to it).

They're some pretty study supports though. It's not like they break or anything.

The little dots that are on the ring are bolts that connect them. Hopefully they glue them into place so no-one decides to unscrew them.

They're some pretty study supports though. It's not like they break or anything.

The little dots that are on the ring are bolts that connect them. Hopefully they glue them into place so no-one decides to unscrew them.

Wait, why would you have to glue them? why would someone unscrew them?

Threadlock adhesive so they dont come unscrewed and vandals would unscrew them.

Thanks guys! Will add flanges to my next project right away. It's called Compact Launch Loopers. Search it in the Tracks subforum.