Science · 6 pages · 12 min
Why a curve is banked on a racetrack
The tilt lets the pavement push inward, so friction need not do the whole turn.
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From the opening
A curve is banked so the road pushes partly inward, not only upward. The normal force from a tilted pavement has a horizontal piece that supplies some of the centripetal force the turn requires. The opening covers the inward part of the normal force, a design speed with no friction, and too fast or too slow on the bank.
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Inside
- The inward part of the normal force
- A design speed with no friction
- Too fast or too slow on the bank
- Why an airplane banks in a turn
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Centripetal force from a banked normal component
- The design speed of a frictionless banked curve