In a vehicle suspension, roll moment is the moment of inertia of the vehicle's sprung mass (the portion of its weight supported by the suspension). The roll moment is the product of the sprung mass and the square of the distance between the vehicle's roll center and its center of mass. If the vehicle is subjected to centrifugal forces, such as in a turn, the roll moment will cause the body to rotate (lean) towards the outside of the turn.
In aeronautics, the roll moment is the aerodynamic force applied at a distance from an aircraft's center of mass that causes the aircraft to undergo angular acceleration about its roll axis. The roll axis is usually defined as the longitudinal axis, which runs from the nose to the tail of the aircraft. A roll moment can be the result of wind gusts, control surfaces such as ailerons, or simply by flying at an angle of sideslip. See flight dynamics.
Famous quotes containing the words roll and/or moment:
“The mode of clearing and planting is to fell the trees, and burn once what will burn, then cut them up into suitable lengths, roll into heaps, and burn again; then, with a hoe, plant potatoes where you can come at the ground between the stumps and charred logs; for a first crop the ashes suffice for manure, and no hoeing being necessary the first year. In the fall, cut, roll, and burn again, and so on, till the land is cleared; and soon it is ready for grain, and to be laid down.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Every moment of one’s existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)