Final answer:
The question regards the engineering design of a horizontal curve on a road within mountainous terrain focusing on geometry and safety calculations such as ideal speed for banking, minimum friction coefficient, and angle of banking.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question pertains to the design of a horizontal curve on a road within mountainous terrain, which includes geometric design parameters for civil engineering purposes. To solve the problem, we must consider several key components such as the intersection angle, the tangent length, station of the PI (Point of Intersection), coefficient of side friction (f), and superelevation rate (e). Calculating the ideal speed to navigate a curve, the stations of the PC (Point of Curvature) and PT (Point of Tangency), and the deflection angle with chord length require applications of transportation engineering principles.
To illustrate how to compute the ideal speed for a banked curve, consider a 100 m radius curve banked at 15 degrees. If the road is dry, the vehicle can negotiate the curve relying solely on centripetal force due to roadway banking. For icy conditions, additional friction is necessary. For example, if a driver needs to take the same curve at 20.0 km/h (frightened driver), the minimum coefficient of friction can be calculated using the fundamentals of physics and road design formulas.
Another engineering challenge involves calculating the correct angle of banking for a highway designed for traffic moving at a certain speed, such as 90.0 km/h, for a curve with a given radius.
The process of designing road curves often involves breaking the problem into easily calculable sections and then combining the outcomes to determine the necessary roadway parameters. It integrates knowledge from physics, mathematics, and engineering to ensure safety and functionality in transportation infrastructure.