Banked Turn - Turn On Flat Surfaces

Turn On Flat Surfaces

If the bank angle is zero, the surface is flat and the normal force is vertically upwards. The only force keeping the vehicle turning on its path is friction, or traction. This must be large enough to provide the centripetal force, a relationship which can be expressed as an inequality, assuming the car is driving in a circle of radius r:

The expression on the right hand side is the centripetal acceleration multiplied by mass, the force required to turn the vehicle. The left hand side is the maximum frictional force, which equals the coefficient of friction μ multiplied by the normal force. Rearranging the maximum cornering speed is

Note that μ can be the coefficient for static or dynamic friction. In the latter case, where the vehicle is skidding around a bend, the friction is at its limit and the inequalities becomes equations. This also ignores effects such as downforce which can increase the normal force and cornering speed.

Read more about this topic:  Banked Turn

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