Dynamic analysis of the effect of nose length on train aerodynamic performance

Abstract

The improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) was used to study the influence of the train’s nose length on its aerodynamic performance. Both the time-averaged and instantaneous near-wake structures and the associated distribution of slipstream velocity are compared for three nose lengths. As the nose length increases, the mean and Std values of the drag and lift force are decreased. The shorter nose-length case results in a higher slipstream velocity. In particular, at the TSI track-side position, the TSI value U2δ for the 5-m nose length case is 30% and 32% higher than the corresponding values for the 7.5-m and 10-m nose length cases, respectively. The dynamical flow topology in the wake reveals that the flow structures of the 5-m nose length are different from those of the other two cases in the tail streamline surface. As nose length increases, the longitudinal vortices are weaker, and the angle and distance between the longitudinal vortices are smaller. The shear production from the Pxy caused by the separation of the boundary layer at the lateral wall of the tail train is greater than that of the Pxz caused by the separation of the boundary layer at the top and bottom of the tail train.