Centrifugal Grip: The Extreme Material Science of Rollercoaster Wheels

Plunging down a 300-foot vertical drop at ninety miles per hour generates forces that would instantly obliterate conventional tires. The ability to safely secure a multi-ton rollercoaster train to a twisting steel track relies entirely on one of the most punishing applications of modern material science: the polyurethane road wheel. These specialized wheels are subjected to relentless kinetic to...