Runaway truck ramp

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/runaway-truck-ramp

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary engineering principle?Dissipation of kinetic energy through high rolling resistance and/or an opposing gradient
2. What is the common arresting medium?Deep beds of loose aggregate (sand, gravel) designed to engulf vehicle tires
3. Why do trucks need a runaway truck ramp on steep roads?Trucks can get very hot brakes on steep downhill roads, which can make the brakes stop working. The ramp gives them a backup way to stop.
4. How does a runaway truck ramp stop a big truck?The ramp has a long, gentle slope filled with loose sand or gravel. As the truck rolls in, the tires sink and the sand creates a lot of resistance, and sometimes the ramp goes uphill to help slow the truck.

Brake Fade: A significant and dangerous reduction in braking performance due to overheating of brake components.
Kinetic Energy: The energy possessed by an object due to its motion, proportional to its mass and the square of its velocity.
Rolling Resistance: The force that opposes the motion of a wheel as it rolls over a surface, caused by deformation of the surface and tire.
Aggregate: A collection of particles, such as sand or gravel, used as a construction material.