Driving on a bumpy road can be the most annoying thing and any road with uneven surfaces, potholes and loose gravel can be a driving hazard. Physicists from Canada, France and UK have been studying the phenomenon of this rippling effect to reduce the effects of bumpy roads.

The suspension systems of vehicles are intended to reduce the effect of bumpy roads on the vehicles. The Lyon washboard road experiment being done by the group of physicists show that the rippling effect continue even in the absence of the suspension of the car and the shape of the wheel. This discovery is intended to pave the way for creation of better suspension systems for a smoother ride. Through a recreation of bumpy roads in the laboratory, the physicists found that the ripples occurred when the plow blade exceeded the threshold speed.

It was also found that the threshold speed of washboarding plow is quite similar theoretically to that of stone skipping. The research done by the group of physicists have been published in Physical Review E on June 26th this year. No doubt, the findings of the study would help the automobile manufacturers greatly.

Via: ScienceDaily