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The improved delayed detached-eddy simulation (IDDES) method based on the shear-stress transport (SST) κ-ω turbulence model was employed to investigate the ballast height influence on aerodynamic performance at Re ​= ​9.12 ​× ​106. Both time-averaged and instantaneous slipstreams and near-wake flow structures and associated slipstream velocity distributions are compared for four cases. Results reveal that the mean lift force coefficient decreases with increasing ballast height. At the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) trackside position, the maximum slipstream velocity with a ballast height of 1.825 ​m (Case 3) is 97.4%, 15.6% and 11.7% lower than with a ballast height of 0 ​m (Case 1), 0.825 ​m (Case 2) and 2.825 ​m (Case 4), respectively. The TSI values in Case 3 ​at both the trackside and platform positions are the lowest. In the wake region, increasing the ballast height greatly constrains the outward and downward movements of vortices. The slipstream velocity in the wake region in Case 3 is the lowest among all cases. In this study, we found that Case 3 greatly decreases the slipstream velocity around the train and improves the flow structure in the wake region, which reduces the risk to workers and equipment along the railway. • The CFD results were validated with wind tunnel experiment and found good agreement. • IDDES k-w turbulence model is used to model the detailed flow field structure. • The effect of height of ballast on the slipstream and wake dynamics of train is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing need for passenger transportation, the double-unit formation of high-speed trains (HSTs) has been widely employed. However, the dynamic characteristics of the flow around double-unit HSTs have rarely been studied. In this study, the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) method is employed to analyse the differences in flow fields around single- and double-unit trains. The numerical case is validated through wind tunnel experiments, mesh independence tests and IDDES assessments. The results show that the existence of the double region concentrates the Strouhal number of the aerodynamic force of the wake at 0.15. For the flow downstream of the double region, the slipstream velocity detected until the far-wake region is higher than that in the single-unit case. The standard deviation of the velocity, which reflects the intensity of the turbulence, is also higher for the double-unit case. For the near wake, the vortex dominate region is dominated by flow structure shedding from the snow plough thus similar for two cases; for the downwash dominate region, the double-unit wake exhibits more turbulent flow structures and lower dominant frequency for velocity. The proper orthogonal decomposition results also indicate more turbulent wakes within the downwash dominate region in the double-unit case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 U 2δ 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 P x y caused by the separation of the boundary layer at the lateral wall of the tail train is greater than that of the P x z caused by the separation of the boundary layer at the top and bottom of the tail train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]