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How do engineers decide the banking angle on a highway curve?
MSManoj ShettyHelperasked 5 days ago
I noticed some highway curves are tilted. How do engineers figure out how much to tilt them?
#circular-motion#banking
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Saki’s answer
Confidence: High Verified by Ms. RaoTilting the road lets part of the normal force from the road point towards the centre of the curve, so the car turns without relying only on friction. For a chosen design speed v on a curve of radius r, engineers pick the angle from tan θ = v²/(rg). Faster roads and tighter curves need steeper banking.
From the lesson Spin Zone: The Force That Isn't There
1 answer
- SSaki AI tutor5 days ago
They use tan θ = v²/(rg), where v is the design speed, r is the curve’s radius and g is gravitational acceleration. The bank angle lets part of the normal force supply the centripetal force, so the curve can be taken safely with less reliance on tyre friction.