Abstract
The aerodynamic effects occurring in a tunnel as a train moves into or through it are totally different from those observed in the open air and their amplitude and severity grow as the train speed is increased. The flow in the whole tunnel needs to be considered in the same time as the flow in the vicinity of the vehicle. Aerodynamic forces, pressure waves and acoustics have a strong impact on safety and comfort issues.
When a train enters into a tunnel, a compression wave is generated, propagates through the tunnel and is reflected at the tunnel extremity. During the reflection process a part of the wave is transmitted outside the tunnel in the form of a micro-pressure wave, which may generate a “sonic boom” problem, depending on the shape of the incident wave, in particular the gradient of the wavefront. The shape of the wave changes as it propagates through the tunnel under the influence of the unsteady viscous effects (in particular skin friction at the tunnel wall), the non-linear effects and the presence of material and components in the tunnel (for example, ballast or niches). Measurements of the skin friction behind a pressure wave are presented.
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Bourquin, V., Béguin, C., Monkewitz, P.A. (2004). Aerodynamic Effects in Railway Tunnels as Speed is Increased. In: McCallen, R., Browand, F., Ross, J. (eds) The Aerodynamics of Heavy Vehicles: Trucks, Buses, and Trains. Lecture Notes in Applied and Computational Mechanics, vol 19. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-44419-0_38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-44419-0_38
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