CFD Simulation of High-Speed Trains: Train-induced Wind Conditions on Trackside Installations

High speed trains in operation encounter aerodynamic effects of the air flow as well as slipstream effects. A high-speed train passing under a structure or object makes sudden impacts on aerodynamic forces acting on that object. Therefore, this issue needs to be considered in the design of structures and installations to be built around high-speed rails. In this study, a numerical simulation with moving mesh and k-epsilon turbulence model is carried out in FLUENT engineering software in order to investigate the aerodynamic and the slipstream effects for a high-speed train in motion on overhead and trackside installations with the objective of preventing aerodynamics-induced damage. This simulation is conducted in two scenarios of absence and presence of aerodynamic brake on topside of the train. In the end, ABAQUS finite element software is used to determine the maximum stress exerted on objects (installations) positioned at different distances from the rail, and the results are compared with the maximum allowable stresses to determine a minimum permissible distance between installations and high-speed trains.