Characteristics of wind-snow flow around motor and trailer bogies of high-speed train

When a high-speed train runs on a snow-covered track in winter, wind-snow flow calculation models of a motor bogie and a trailer bogie were established by using the Euler-Lagrange gas-solid two-phase flow approach to investigate the difference in snow particles motion characteristics between the motor and trailer bogie. The motion characteristics of snow particles in bogie region and the impact characteristics between snow particles and walls were analyzed. Research results show that the airflow paths in the trailer and motor bogie regions are similar. The airflow in the rear of wheelsets rolls up into the bogie region and rotates around the two wheelsets. The positive pressure generated by the reverse flow in the trailer bogie region exceeds that of the motor bogie. When the traction motor is ventilated, the reverse flow around the front and rear wheelsets in the bogie region significantly increases compared with the case without ventilation. The snow particle residence time in the motor bogie region increases from 1.10 s up to 1.13 s owing to the exhaust air of the traction motor. It is unconducive for snow particles to flow out of the motor bogie region. The snow particles easily enter the upper space of trailer bogie region and are captured by the trailer bogie is 42.8% more than that of the motor bogie region during the same period. Except for the axle box, the snow particles captured by the rear part of motor bogie are lower than those captured by the front part. Except for the wheelsets, the snow particles captured by the rear part of trailer bogie exceed those captured by the front part. The airflow at the traction motor outlet increases the incident snow particles on the front parts of the bogie and decreases the incident snow particles on the middle parts of the bogie. The partial airflow exhausted out by the traction motor rotates around the wheelsets, causing more snow particles underneath the bogie to roll up into the bogie region. Therefore, the snow particles hitting the front axle box and brake components increase by 20% and 17%, respectively. The incident area of snow particles on bogie is mainly distributed to the parts directly impacted by the incoming flow underneath the vehicle and by the backflow from the rear of bogie. © 2021, Editorial Department of Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering. All right reserved.