Numerical analysis of the effect of train length on train aerodynamic performance

Abstract

The improved delayed detached eddy simulation is adopted in the present study to investigate the influence of the train length on its aerodynamic performance. The low y+ wall treatment and the cubic constitutive relation are adopted to resolve the viscous flows and model the anisotropic turbulence within the boundary layer. The analysis implied that the distribution region and intensity of velocity fluctuation are strengthened, resulting in a larger turbulence kinetic energy distribution and a higher boundary layer thickness as the train length increases. A reduction in the streamwise velocity and the negative pressure with the increasing train length on the tail train is observed, resulting in lower drag and lift coefficients. As the length of the train increases, both the mean and instantaneous slipstream velocities are increased. The boundary layer thickness and the skin friction coefficient are compared with flat plate theory, reduced-scale, and full-scale experiments, proving the ability of numerical simulation to model the boundary layer velocity profile and skin friction coefficient distribution correctly. The wake structures are identified by the Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition method, the dominant mode frequency decreases, and the wavelength becomes larger as the length of the train becomes longer due to the thickening boundary layer.