Abstract
Bionics has been widely used in many fields. Previous studies on the application of bionics in locomotives and vehicles mainly focused on shape optimisation of high-speed trains, but the research on bionic shape design in the electric locomotive field is rare. This study investigated a design method for streamlined electric locomotives according to the principles of bionics. The crocodiles were chosen as the bionic object because of their powerful and streamlined head shape. Firstly, geometric characteristic lines were extracted from the head of a crocodile by analysing the head features. Secondly, according to the actual size requirements of the electric locomotive head, a free-hand sketch of the bionic electric locomotive head was completed by adjusting the position and scale of the geometric characteristic lines. Finally, the non-uniform rational B-splines method was used to establish a 3D digital model of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive, and the main and auxiliary control lines were created. To verify the drag reduction effect of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive, numerical simulations of aerodynamic drag were performed for the crocodile bionic and bluff body electric locomotives at different speeds in open air by using the CFD software, ANSYS FLUENT16.0. The geometric models of crocodile bionic and bluff body electric locomotives were both marshalled with three cars, namely, locomotive + middle car + locomotive, and the size of the two geometric models was uniform. Dimensions and grids of the flow field were defined. And then, according to the principle of motion relativity, boundary conditions of flow field were defined. The results indicated that the crocodile bionic electric locomotive demonstrated a good aerodynamic performance. At the six sampling speeds in the range of 40–240 km/h, the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive decreased by 7.7% on the average compared with that of the bluff body electric locomotive.
Highlights
In 1960, an American military doctor, J
Main control lines of locomotive To evaluate and optimise the design from different perspectives, a 3D digital model of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive was established after the completion of the sketch design, that is, the 2D sketch was transformed into a 3D model
The surface pressure and path lines of the bluff body and crocodile bionic electric locomotives were calculated at a flow velocity of 120 km/h
Summary
In 1960, an American military doctor, J. The position and scale of the geometric characteristic lines of the bionic object should be adjusted according to the actual size requirements of the electric locomotive head. Main control lines of locomotive To evaluate and optimise the design from different perspectives, a 3D digital model of the crocodile bionic electric locomotive was established after the completion of the sketch design, that is, the 2D sketch was transformed into a 3D model.
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