Comparison of Aerodynamic Characteristics of High-Speed Train for Different Configurations of Aerodynamic Braking Plates Installed in Inter-Car Gap Region

An improved delayed detached eddy simulation based on a shear-stress transport kappa-omega turbulence model is used to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of a high-speed train with an aerodynamic braking plate installed in the inter-car gap (ICG) region. The flow field and the aerodynamic performance of high-speed trains with different aerodynamic braking plate configurations are compared and analysed. The numerical method used in this study is verified through a wind tunnel test. Results show that opening the plates installed in the ICG significantly increased the aerodynamic drag of the train, especially large downstream plates with relatively small fluctuations in the aerodynamic forces relative to those of large upstream plates. The braking plates significantly affected the levels of downstream ICG turbulence, which then interacted with the external flow to reduce the wake profile.