Experiments by physicists in the UK, France and Canada have shed new light on the unwanted ripples that appear spontaneously on the surface of unpaved roads. The team has discovered that the size and spacing of the ripples -- which can damage vehicles and even cause accidents -- are simple functions of the speed and weight of vehicles using the road. The findings suggest that the ripples arise because flat unpaved roads are inherently unstable, which could explain why the troublesome ridges are so difficult to prevent (Phys. Rev. Lett. 99 068003).
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