Is the Braking Force of a Truck Really 0.8?

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    Braking Force Truck
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the braking force of trucks, specifically whether a truck can exert a braking force of 0.8, and the implications of such forces on cargo during collisions. Participants explore concepts related to forces, whiplash, and the behavior of cargo during accidents, including both theoretical and practical considerations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether a truck's braking force can indeed be 0.8, with references to units of measurement and the context of forces.
  • There is a discussion about the potential for a pallet of bricks to move backwards after a frontal collision, with some participants expressing skepticism about this claim.
  • One participant suggests that during a frontal collision, the inertial forces would cause the bricks to accelerate forwards relative to the truck, challenging the idea that they would move backwards.
  • Another participant mentions the complexity of collisions and the possibility of pallets sliding forward during a crash, which could lead to a perception of movement backwards afterwards.
  • Concerns are raised about the understanding of whiplash, with some participants asserting that it is primarily associated with rear-end collisions, while others note that it can also occur in frontal collisions.
  • There are references to the role of headrests in preventing whiplash and questions about the logic behind seatbelt use in the context of frontal collisions.
  • One participant introduces the idea that elastic forces could cause a pallet to move backwards after a crash, but emphasizes that this is not a certainty for all scenarios.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of forces during collisions, the behavior of cargo, and the mechanics of whiplash. No consensus is reached regarding the claims about the braking force or the movement of pallets during crashes.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the complexity of collisions and the various factors that can influence the behavior of cargo, including elastic properties and the dynamics of the crash. There are also discussions about the definitions and units of force, which may affect interpretations of the braking force.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to truck drivers, safety instructors, and individuals studying physics or engineering, particularly in relation to forces and collisions in transportation contexts.

chrishgv
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Hi guys I'm a truck driver. Not sure if I'm posting in the right place so i apologise. Iv'e been on a course today about trucks. The course leader was talking about forces. A trucks force forwards can be 0.8. Is this true?
 
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chrishgv said:
Hi guys I'm a truck driver. Not sure if I'm posting in the right place so i apologise. Iv'e been on a course today about trucks. The course leader was talking about forces. A trucks force forwards can be 0.8. Is this true?
We were talking about carrying a load. We have to make sure the load is safe. The biggest force a hgv truck produces under breaking is 0.8 going forwards. does this seem correct?
 
chrishgv said:
We were talking about carrying a load. We have to make sure the load is safe. The biggest force a hgv truck produces under breaking is 0.8 going forwards. does this seem correct?
This is probably correct . My real questioning is when he said that.. Because people get whiplash. There is a force pushing backwards when you break hard. He says a pallet on the truck will move backwards after a crash?
 
chrishgv said:
A trucks force forwards can be 0.8. Is this true?
A truck’s force certainly could be 0.8 in some units. Are you familiar with the concept of units? Like distances can be measured in inches or miles or meters. Forces are usually measures in Newtons or pounds (pounds can be confusing because it is sometimes a unit of force and sometimes a unit of mass and so context is needed)
 
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chrishgv said:
We were talking about carrying a load. We have to make sure the load is safe. The biggest force a hgv truck produces under breaking is 0.8 going forwards. does this seem correct?
For those of us in the U.S., a "HGV" truck is a Heavy Goods truck. Which is what we would call an "18 wheeler" or a "semi-trailer truck".

It is plausible that such a truck can brake at 0.8 gees of acceleration. This means that the carried goods can experience an apparent forward force equal to 0.8 times their weight.
 
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Dale said:
A truck’s force certainly could be 0.8 in some units. Are you familiar with the concept of units? Like distances can be measured in inches or miles or meters. Forces are usually measures in Newtons or pounds (pounds can be confusing because it is sometimes a unit of force and sometimes a unit of mass and so context is needed)
Iv'e had a drink. Bare with me. On the course he says there is a force pushing backwards after a crash. He references whiplash. If a pallet off bricks was moving forward on the wagon during a crash. could a force push it backwards afterwards?
 
Collisions are pretty complicated with lots of things happening very quickly. Whiplash is usually associated with a rear end collision with an inadequate or poorly positioned headrest.

I could envision that during a frontal collision a pallet of bricks could slide forward to the cabin and essentially act as a rear end collision just moments after the original frontal collision. I don’t know any studies on it, but it seems plausible to me.
 
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Ok. After a collision. He is saying a pallet off bricks (anything) will move backwards after a crash. I this possible?
 
chrishgv said:
Ok. After a collision. He is saying a pallet off bricks (anything) will move backwards after a crash. I this possible?
For a frontal collision I can’t envision how it could happen. For a rear end collision certainly the can happen.
 
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  • #10
ok thank you. He's stating his theory on the basis of whiplash. It just seemed against the laws of physics to me. He teaches this class to 20 people a week. Can i get any feedback to show how he is going wrong?
 
  • #11
chrishgv said:
Can i get any feedback to show how he is going wrong?
Can you explain the argument in detail?
 
  • #12
a lorry is traveling forward. a pallet of bricks is against the headboard of the trailer. the lorry crashes. after the crash the pallet of bricks moves backwards. he has an arrow on his chart showing the pallet moving backwards. he says for every action equal reaction. the pallet is moving backwards in his opinion.
 
  • #13
chrishgv said:
the lorry crashes
A frontal crash or a rear end crash?
 
  • #14
frontal crash. on his diagram after the crash the pallet has moved backwards in relation to the headboard of the truck.
 
  • #15
chrishgv said:
frontal crash. on his diagram after the crash the pallet has moved backwards in relation to the headboard of the truck.
he states there is a force pushing the pallet back? how is this possible? tx
 
  • #16
I just can't see a point where the pallet has gone backwards
 
  • #17
chrishgv said:
a lorry is traveling forward. a pallet of bricks is against the headboard of the trailer. the lorry crashes. after the crash the pallet of bricks moves backwards. he has an arrow on his chart showing the pallet moving backwards. he says for every action equal reaction. the pallet is moving backwards in his opinion.
When the truck crashes its acceleration is backwards (in the external inertial frame). So in the truck’s frame the inertial force is forwards. Relative to the truck the bricks will be accelerated forwards. There isn’t any rearward force on the bricks relative to the truck.
 
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  • #18
Dale said:
When the truck crashes its acceleration is backwards (in the external inertial frame). So in the truck’s frame the inertial force is forwards. Relative to the truck the bricks will be accelerated forwards. There isn’t any rearward force on the bricks relative to the truck.
You could get some bounce, perhaps -- the truck bounces from the wall and the brick pallet bounces from the front wall of its compartment. One would have to speculate about what components are elastic enough to provide much bounce. An argument on a basis of "equal and opposite reaction" sounds like vigorous handwavium.
 
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  • #19
handwavium wow. waves hands. The guy is a great teacher.
 
  • #20
Dale said:
When the truck crashes its acceleration is backwards (in the external inertial frame). So in the truck’s frame the inertial force is forwards. Relative to the truck the bricks will be accelerated forwards. There isn’t any rearward force on the bricks relative to the truck.
I'm assuming i was correct then? He's a good teacher. I'm here because i want to help him and his lessons. I'l give him this link tomorrow
 
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  • #21
il sober up before i post again. don't worry I'm not driving I'm on a course this week. feel free to add more for clarification.
 
  • #22
just sobering up a bit and thinking about your answers. teacher mentions in his lesson that the head rest in a car is to stop whip lash. Am i right in thinking that you can only get whiplash from a rear end hit? I don't think he understands this. He thinks whip lash comes from the (recoil?)
 
  • #23
Ask him what is the point of wearing sit belts. If you are pushed backwards during frontal collision, I mean.
 
  • #24
chrishgv said:
teacher mentions in his lesson that the head rest in a car is to stop whip lash. Am i right in thinking that you can only get whiplash from a rear end hit?
From Wikipedia:
A WHIPS [Whiplash Protection System] equipped seat is designed so that the entire backrest helps to protect the front occupant's neck in a case of a rear impact.
 
  • #25
chrishgv said:
Am i right in thinking that you can only get whiplash from a rear end hit?
No.
More often, occurrences of whiplash are from a rear end, but half as many can be from frontal, and also from a side collision.
 
  • #26
chrishgv said:
He says a pallet on the truck will move backwards after a crash?
After the crash, possibly, due to the relaxation of elastic compression forces on the pallet from the bulkhead, or from the elastic compression properties of the contents within the pallet.
There is not a statement where one can say with certainty that all pallets of material will re-coil backwards AFTER a frontal crash.
Anyways, most crashes are messy things, and your pallets will be jostled around during the crash, and thus not in supreme condition when inspecting their integrity afterwards.
 
  • #27
Whiplash is a neck injury. It results from a victim's head and torso being subjected to significantly different forces - most commonly in the 'fore and aft' direction. Anything that keeps head and torso in constant relative positions will prevent that particular injury. In the simplest case (a rear-end collision), the torso is accelerated forward (by the seat) and the (unsupported) head isn't. I don't see any useful similarities to a pallet of bricks.
 
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  • #28
256bits said:
After the crash, possibly, due to the relaxation of elastic compression forces on the pallet from the bulkhead, or from the elastic compression properties of the contents within the pallet.
All these scenarios seem to depend on a significant amount of resilience. A major part of vehicle design for dealing with collisions is permanent distortion of the structure to dissipate the energy. I can't think of any element of the tractor and trailer that might have longitudinal resilience, built in, except the driver's seat.

The only mechanism I could think of that could produce a backlash effect could be if the pallets were not secure and could carry on traveling forward after the trailer had stopped. They could then hit the inside front of the trailer and nudge it forward. That would cause the driver to feel a forward impulse.
 
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  • #29
chrishgv said:
He says a pallet on the truck will move backwards after a crash?
Sounds reasonable. I'd be curious as to what the greatest movement he's seen, is.

Between the bumper and the load, there are plenty of bends in the frame and structure to make a de-facto spring system (including of course the actual leaf-springs between bumper and frame). All of which will compress, then spring backwards. They stop when they've returned to their unstressed "rest" position, but the pallet will keep moving.

And, that's before we get to what most of it probably is : the bumper is much lower than the load : in a collision the frame tries to pivot upwards around the impact point, during which time the sprung undercarriage - which hasn't tried to rotate - pulls it back downwards... but not the pallet which relies only on gravity. Might be a bit different for an 18-wheeler due to the tractor/trailer hinge.

Per "0.8" : formulae's uncomplicated : you need to know engine output and gross vehicle weight.
 
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  • #30
sophiecentaur said:
The only mechanism I could think of that could produce a backlash effect could be if the pallets were not secure and could carry on traveling forward after the trailer had stopped. They could then hit the inside front of the trailer and nudge it forward. That would cause the driver to feel a forward impulse.
Put the pallets on wheels, which they are not ( usually ) and the floor- pallet reduced friction would have interesting effects.
 

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