Wall of death... one for the Mathematicians

[silverfoxcc]

Just watching Discovery Science ( some rather weird guys on there) and one chap has built his own wall of death

OK no problems with that, and there is one where a car goes on one.
BUT, assuming everything was obtainable could a car do a complete roll in a tube

Was it The Italian job where the minis were going along a sewer and getting up to 'vertical' but would centrifugal force still apply when the car is still upside down and going in a straight line, or would gravity win?

[davepoth]

Yes. It works with a loop, so if you could go fast enough and change direction fast enough, it would.

[anonymous-user]

when "looping" in a circular tunnel, it's not the forward speed that is important, but the rotational speed (Around the centre of the tunnel) as this is what generates the centripetal acceleration to oppose gravity. However, what sets the rotational speed is the steering angle used and the forward speed of the car. So you could use low speed and lots of steering, or high speed and not much steering, the effect would be the same. Of course, the geometery of the tunnel (it's radius) effectively sets the optimum balance between those two (in a narrow tunnel the car will be too "Long" to be able to turn enough etc)

[Ozzie Osmond]

One way or another you must have something which gives you more than 1g to overcome gravity - either centrifugal force or aerodynamic downforce. (or a combination)

[Mroad]

With aerodynamics creating enough down force to overcome the weight of the car then entirely possible.
It's often quoted, but not sure if true, that current F1 cars create enough down force that they could run upside down on tunnel roof over xxxmph.

[deadtom]

yes its possible, and been done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiZoVAZGgsw

also, you don't need to go as fast as you might expect (though of course it does depend on the size of the loop)

[Lefty]

deadtom said:

yes its possible, and been done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiZoVAZGgsw

also, you don't need to go as fast as you might expect (though of course it does depend on the size of the loop)

I assumed that the OP was talking about doing a barrell roll in a tunnel rather than a loop?

[V8LM]

Top Gear did it, almost - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fv8s2ky4Z8

[silverfoxcc]

Lefty,
Thats it, i completely had a brain fart re the name

Barrel-roll of course

Thanks for putting me right