What is the banking of a curved section of road to counteract centrifugal force called?

The banking of a curved section of road to counteract centrifugal force is known as superelevation. Superelevation is designed to enhance the safety and comfort of vehicles navigating a curve by tilting the road surface toward the center of the curve. This inclination helps counterbalance the effects of centrifugal force acting on vehicles as they round the curve, thus reducing the risk of skidding and helping vehicles maintain better traction.

The concept of superelevation is critically important in road design because it is part of the overall geometric design of highways that ensures vehicles can safely traverse curves at intended speeds. A properly designed superelevation takes into account the radius of the curve, the design speed of the road, and the expected friction between the tires and the road surface.

In contrast, terms such as centrifugal banking and curvature banking are not standard terminology used in transportation engineering, and road elevation does not specifically refer to the banking effect but rather to the vertical position of the road in relation to a datum. Thus, superelevation is the precise term used in civil engineering and transportation to describe this essential design feature.