Floods
- Thread starter mzeiya
- Start date
Denis Young
Elder Lister
Why would you even drive through fast moving water? Don't people realize the contact point of wheels on the ground is incredibly small. You are better off deflating your tires partially to increase grip and then trying this.
Mwalimu-G
Elder Lister
Actually, it's not about the grip or lack of it. It is more about buoyancy. The more the tyres the more the floating balloons.
Stannis Baratheon
Elder Lister
Denis Young
Elder Lister
Not quite. Buoyancy is negated by the weight of the vehicle. The volume of air in the tire cannot float the truck.
What keeps a vehicle on the road is friction. Now consider this, at a given time, how much of the wheel is in contact with the ground? Very small. On top of that, the water has lubricated the surface. Like driving on a wet road. Then you have the lateral force of the fast flowing water pushing against the wide tires. Who even knows the condition of the tires? Add all those factors, you get that accident.
Mongrel
Elder Lister
Hio ni hardcore
Mwalimu-G
Elder Lister
I hope you appreciate that even if the buoyancy is minute it will put a gap (however miniscule!) between the tyre and the road surface. Do you think the energy of that stream is enough to send the seven tonner full of sand and 15 people on top askew? Or even a bus full of wedding guests as happened at River Enziu the other season?
The water would need to be dammed to build up enough energy.
Mwalimu-G
Elder Lister
Sure, no wasting resources. Na saa hiyo hakuna kanju ya kudai cess.
Ole Waru
Elder Lister
@Mwalimu-G and @Denis Young you’re both right it’s not a single force but multiple forces at play here that led to this, it’s as they say physics is a hard master
Denis Young
Elder Lister
Yes. If it is in motion. If the driver stopped the lorry, they wouldn't have been swept away. The problem is always motion unless the water is above the car's COG.