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Turbulent incoming flow conditions are closely matched to the crosswinds experienced by trains in windy areas. Therefore, it is important to investigate how the turbulent inflow affects the flow dynamics around a train. The aerodynamic characteristics of a 1:8-scaled high-speed train at a 90° yaw angle were studied based on the improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) turbulence model. Four incoming flow conditions were set using a synthetic eddy method (SEM) turbulent generator, including uniform, Lu = 0.5H, Lu = 1H, and Lu = 2H inflow (Lu is turbulence integral length scale and H is reference height). The aerodynamic loads, surface pressure, mean vorticity, vortex structure, velocity deficit, turbulence characteristics, Reynold stresses, turbulence production term, and anisotropy of turbulence were thoroughly analyzed. Turbulent inflow and increasing inflow Lu increased the standard deviation of the aerodynamic loads on the train. A crisis of inflow Lu appeared around 0.5H, meaning the rolling moment and overturning moment were largest under this crisis condition. Turbulent inflow caused vortices on the train's leeward side to come closer to the train, increasing the vorticity thickness and shortening the back flow region. The Reynolds stresses on the train's leeward side under turbulent inflow conditions were strengthened. The spectrum-proper orthogonal decomposition method was used to analyze the dominant mode within the train's leeward region and the corresponding energy distribution in the frequency domain. The aerodynamic admittance function was used to investigate the frequency characteristics of the aerodynamic loads on the train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The external windshield is a key component in high-speed trains for drag reduction. However, the installation gap between external windshields, which is intended for improving curve-passing ability, could lead to strong aerodynamic instability in train-end area and therefore significant operating risk for train. This study aims to advance this field based on detailed numerical simulation, investigating the related flow features in this area, particularly from a time-dependent perspective. Flow field around external windshields with different installation gaps (10, 20 and 30 mm) is resolved based on Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES). The aerodynamic forces on different windshield components, turbulent flow fields around the train-end area, and corresponding low-dimensional modes are analyzed. The results show that the difference in the external windshield gap can significantly affect the related aerodynamic forces, with the 20 mm case having the highest time-averaged values. The aerodynamic spectrum shows primary, secondary and tertiary peak frequencies with a relatively high power spectral density (PSD). Decreasing the gap distance generally increases the overall PSD in the Strouhal number ranges considered, particularly for the secondary and tertiary peaks. The load forms and their energy distributions under different external windshield gaps are obtained through the proper orthogonal decomposition analysis. [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]