PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - The next time you are asked for the hydroplaning speed...
Old 16th Jan 2020, 16:56
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tcasblue
 
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The next time you are asked for the hydroplaning speed...

...you might want to give the same answer as is applicable to so many questions. That is....It Depends. Why, because there is no simple technically correct answer. Life just isn't that simple.

Reading from an" accident report....

https://reports.aviation-safety.net/...135_ZS-SJW.pdf

"For the aircraft in question, the critical hydroplaning speeds with the required tyre pressure of 145 psi (pounds per square inch) are shown below:
Critical speed 1 = 8,6 x 145 = 103 kt
Critical speed 2 = 7,7 x 145 = 93 kt

Both critical speed formulas were used as the manufacturer does not clearly indicate that one has preference over the other, or is more pertinent to the aircraft type. There might be variation from one aircraft model to another as tyre sizes and pressures differ from model to model, with different tyres having to carry different loads The IIC obtained expert opinion from the author of a study into hydroplaning of modern aircraft tyres, and was informed that the critical hydroplaning speed is strongly influenced by the type of tyres fitted. The study indicated that the critical hydroplaning speed for the bias-type tyre fitted to the accident aircraft could have been as low as 6,8 x P (where “P” is the tyre pressure in psi).

According to the tyre manufacturer, the accident aircraft had been fitted with the bias-ply type tyre.

The critical speed may therefore have been as low as 6,8 x 145 = 82 kt
The tyre damage indicated that hydroplaning had indeed occurred. At what speed it happened, however, could not be determined with certainty. Using the formulae developed by NASA and the NRL, it is evident that there is a 20-knot window, which indicates that the critical hydroplaning speed for the type of tyres fitted to the accident was between 82 and 103 kt."

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