Calculate the normal force on a surface, including inclines and applied loads.
The normal force is the surface’s reaction perpendicular to itself, so on a slope it is only the cosine component of the vertical load. That is why friction and traction both fall as a slope steepens. Normal force determines available friction, so a vehicle on a steep slope has less grip available exactly when it needs more.
Normal Force
N = (m g + applied load) cos θ
N = (m g + applied load) cos θ The normal force is the surface’s reaction perpendicular to itself, so on a slope it is only the cosine component of the vertical load. That is why friction and traction both fall as a slope steepens.
Normal force determines available friction, so a vehicle on a steep slope has less grip available exactly when it needs more.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Mass, Surface angle from horizontal, Additional vertical load, Gravitational acceleration. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.