How do corrugations form?

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Originally Posted by Dougal

The worst corrugations I ever see are on skifield roads. Particularly on the inside of the switchback corners.
Loose surface, low traction, reasonably steep and most vehicles get some axle tramp in those conditions. You should see the Prado's wallowing.:D

Heaviest vehicles on these roads are buses at maybe 11 ton a piece. 200mm deep corrugations are common.

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Just as wind effects corrugations on desert sand roads. Many of these corners are often banked into the middle. I think the combination of water running toward the lower part in the middle helps make the corrugations deeper and then axles tramping compounds it. I've noticed the corrugations are bigger toward the center of the corner than the outside.

Happy Days.

I believe the technical answer is is "wave motion" which goes something like this,...." when two different mediums move along each other a wave is created", eg. wind moving over the sea creates waves, wind over the desert creates sand dunes. Even water running over earth creates ripples i.e in the bottom of a river bed. Interestingly if the wave energy cannot be dissipated in an vertical fashion it will do so horizontally hence in the river bed example the river will meander from side to side.