The LOG Lagoon Amusement Park Log Flume

Team: Alex White, Avery Mitchell, Gavin Passey, Jake Rowlan, and Jason Fellows

Sponsor: Lagoon Amusement Park

Overview

A log flume is a type of amusement park ride that consists of a hollow "log" or boat propelled primarily by water, rapidly descending down lift hills into a "splashdown zone". The original log flume at Lagoon Amusement Park was constructed in 1975 and has been a beloved attraction for children and adults since its introduction.

The ride has reached the end of its service life, and Lagoon is planning to replace it. While the previous ride served its purpose and brought joy to countless visitors, Lagoon aims for the new ride to better utilize the area dedicated to the ride, increase rider capacity, enlarge the size and number of lift hills to create an even more enjoyable ride for patrons. The original log flume had a capacity of 200 people per hour and a single lift hill. Lagoon aims for the new ride to accommodate closer to 800 people per hour and incorporate as many additional lift hills as possible within the design.

log flume at Lagoon

Alternatives

Several designs were sketched with varying lengths, features, and lift hills. Capacity was also a factor being considered with these alternative designs but were difficult to vary and any necessary improvements would be made with the chosen alternative. One alternative is shown below.

Alternative

Criteria & Selection

The selection for a new ride consisted of two different design choices, one being the layout of the ride and the second being the material used in for the channel, each having their own special design criteria

Layout Criteria;

  • Enjoyment
  • Cost
  • Capacity
  • Ride Time
  • Area Usage
  • Aesthetics

Channel Criteria;

  • Cost
  • Longevity
  • Maintenance
  • Hydraulic Efficiency
  • Aesthetics
  • Construction Time
Criteria and selection

Chosen Alternative

After analyzing the different alternatives with the listed criteria and the varying importance factors of each criteria a modified design of the layout in the alternative section was chosen, with a fiberglass channel and concrete loading bay.

Chosen Alternative

Completed Design

The completed design is the best choice to fit Lagoon’s requests. The features of the ride include;

  • 850 Feet in length
  • 3 Lift hills of varying heights
    • 20 Feet
    • 15 Feet
    • 35 Feet
  • 30° Drop angles
  • Dual Loading bays, increase loading and unloading efficiency
  • Estimated cost: $3,818,125
Wire diagram

Special Thanks

  • Lagoon Giving us the idea for our project and being fantastic clients
  • Dustin Allen External PE, Director of Engineering at Lagoon
  • Dr. Colin Phillips Faculty Advisor
  • Professor Austin Ball Faculty Advisor, Course Instructor
  • USU College of Engineering

References

Lagoon History, (2023), "Log Flume", Lagoon History Project, , 13 March 2024