Prediction of aerodynamic noise reduction by using open-cell metal foam

As the speed of high-speed train (HST) increases continuously, aerodynamic noise has become more remarkable compared with the wheel/rail noise, which affects the inhabited environment along the railway and the riding comfort. This paper preliminarily investigates the feasibility of using open-cell metal foam covering layer to reduce the low Mach number aerodynamic noise generated by the flow around a circular cylinder which is the typical section of pantographs. The aerodynamic noises radiated from the circular cylinder with and without metal foam are calculated. The hybrid method combining two-dimensional large eddy simulation (LES) with Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW–H) equation is employed. The calculated Strouhal number, time-averaged drag coefficient, base pressure and overall sound pressure level agree well with some available experimental data. Then, the influences of metal foam porosity, pore density, thickness of covering layer and the speed of train on the aerodynamic noise and the aerodynamic forces are investigated, and some detailed comparisons of flow field are made. The numerical results indicate that as a passive scheme, the open-cell metal foam with high porosity can modify the flow, adjust the vortex shedding frequency and regularize the wake, leading to a significant reduction of aerodynamic noise. The results are expected to provide useful information for the control of aerodynamic noise using this new material.