Numerical Investigation of the Effects of Sand Collision on the Aerodynamic Behaviour of a High-Speed Train Subjected to Yaw Angles

In this paper, the aerodynamic performance of the head car of a CRH2 train running in sandstorms was investigated. A numerical simulation method based on Realizable k-ε turbulence model was used to explore the flow features around the high-speed train. The accuracy of mesh resolution and methodology of CFD was validated by wind tunnel tests. A discrete phase model (DPM) was adopted to investigate the effects of sand particle properties (diameter and restitution coefficient) on the aerodynamic performance of the head car. Yaw angle effects with the sand-laden flow on the aerodynamic coefficient were also discussed. The results show that the drag force, lift force, lateral force, and overturning moment of the head car increase significantly due to the sand, and the sand particle properties have dominant effects on the aerodynamic performance of the head car. The impact probability of sand particles on the vehicle increases with the sand particle diameter and the yaw angle increasing. Larger restitution coefficients lead to lager forces of the head car, resulting in more contribution to the aerodynamic coefficients. Owing to the sand collision, a larger yaw angle causes more contribution to the aerodynamic performance of the head car, and the influence of sand properties on the drag force, lateral force and overturning moment are enhanced with the increase of the yaw angle. Using appropriate coatings around the high-speed train can not only reduce the energy consumption, but also improve the lateral stability and the critical operational speed of the high-speed train in the sandstorms.