Abstract
To study the influence of the pantograph fixing position on aerodynamic characteristics of high-speed trains, the aerodynamic models of high-speed trains with eight cars were established based on the theory of computational fluid dynamics, and eight cases with pantographs fixed on different positions and in different operational orientations were considered. The pantographs were fixed on the front or the rear end of the first middle car or fixed on the front or the rear end of the last middle car. The external flow fields of the high-speed trains were numerically simulated using the software STAR-CCM+. The results show that the pantograph fixing position has little effect on the aerodynamic drag force of the head car and has a large effect on the aerodynamic drag force of the tail car. The influences of the pantograph fixing position on the aerodynamic lift forces of the head car, tail car and pantographs are obvious. Among the eight cases, considering the total aerodynamic drag force of the train and the aerodynamic lift force of the lifted pantograph, when the pantographs are fixed on the rear end of the last middle car and the lifted pantograph is in the knuckle-upstream orientation, the aerodynamic performance of the high-speed train is the best.
Highlights
With the increase in the train speed, the interaction between the train and the air becomes more severe, and it leads to a series of aerodynamic problems, such as aerodynamic drag force, lift force, aerodynamic noise [1]
The results show that the pantograph fixing position has little effect on the aerodynamic drag force of the head car and has a large effect on the aerodynamic drag force of the tail car
Among the eight cases, considering the total aerodynamic drag force of the train and the aerodynamic lift force of the lifted pantograph, when the pantographs are fixed on the rear end of the last middle car and the lifted pantograph is in the knuckle-upstream orientation, the aerodynamic performance of the high-speed train is the best
Summary
With the increase in the train speed, the interaction between the train and the air becomes more severe, and it leads to a series of aerodynamic problems, such as aerodynamic drag force, lift force, aerodynamic noise [1]. The aerodynamic drag force is proportional to the square of the train speed. Zhang et al [6] studied the influence of the fairing and windshield on the aerodynamic drag of pantographs through wind tunnel tests. Guo et al [7] studied the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of pantographs of high-speed trains with and without crosswind conditions using the detached eddy simulation method. Pombo et al [10] analyzed the influence of the aerodynamic forces on the pantograph–catenary system for high-speed trains under crosswinds using numerical simulations and experiments. Aerodynamic models of high-speed trains with pantographs fixed on different positions are established based on the theory of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Influences of the pantograph fixing position on the aerodynamic characteristics of the high-speed train and pantographs are analyzed
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