TRANSAERO: Transient aerodynamics for railway system optimisation

• Unité de recherche: PCRD EU
• Numéro de projet: 95.0102
• Titre du projet anglais: TRANSAERO: Transient aerodynamics for railway system optimisation

Mots-clé (Anglais)

Aerodynamics; unsteady flow; high-speed trains; tunnels; train passing; lateral wind gusts; pressure waves; sonic boom; side forces; pressure loads; experimental analysis; measurements; test facility; HISTAR

Autre Numéro de projet (Anglais)

EU project number: BRPR-CT95-0067

Programme de recherche (Anglais)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 2.1 Industrial and materials technologies

Description succincte (Anglais)

See abstract

Partenaires et organisations internationales (Anglais)

AEA Technology Rail, Derby (UK); DB AG München (D); Deutsche Luft und Raumfahrt, Braunschweig (D); EPFL-IMHEF, Lausanne (CH); FS, Firenze (I); SF, Emmen (CH); SNCF, Paris (F), University of Dundee (UK); Univ. of Erlangen, LSTM (D); CNRS-LCD Poitiers (F); Technische UniversitätWien ISW (A)

Résumé des résultats (Abstract) (Anglais)

The development of high-speed railway networks in Europe is characterised by unsteady aerodynamic problems of increasing importance. They are due to the passage of the train through a tunnel, lateral wind gusts, train passing and flow instabilities. The purpose of TRANSAERO was to carry out numerical analyses, reduced-scale and full-scale tests with the available state-of-the-art tools to analyse these effects. Methodologies have been derived to improve and optimise the design of railway equipment and infrastructure. The contribution of EPFL and SF Emmen (acting as a subcontractor) to this programme has been as follows:
1. Determination of the specifications of a new test facility (HISTAR), complementary to existing European ones, for the study of railway aerodynamic problems (done by EPFL).
2. Development of an advanced concept for the propulsion of HISTAR (done by SF Emmen) and preliminary design of the track (done by EPFL and SF Emmen).
3. Development of the 120-meter long STARLET test facility for the experimental analysis of the pressure wave propagation problems at scale 1/50 (done by EPFL with the financial support of Swissmetro SA).
4. Development of a bibliographic database based on FileMaker Pro to facilitate the access to the bibliographic information gathered by all the partners (done by EPFL).
5. Choice and check of the pressure transducers used on the FS train during the full-scale tests, coordination work for the design of the measurement system (done by SF Emmen and EPFL).
6. 1D-computations of one benchmark using NUMSTA numerical code (done by EPFL).
The main results obtained during the TRANSAERO programme are 1) the specifications of HISTAR, based on the feedback of TRANSAERO partners, which form the basis for the final design and construction of the HISTAR facility in the framework of a CTI/KTI project; 2) the results obtained on the STARLET facility which shows the importance of the effect of the laminar-turbulent transition on the shape of pressure wave profiles (only a long rig such as STARLET, which did not exist before in Europe, allows to analyse these effects). The TRANSAERO project lead to a significant increase in the knowledge of unsteady aerodynamic phenomena on railway systems. It has stimulated research activities in Switzerland and it will facilitate future collaboration with European partners in this area.

Références bases de données (Anglais)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 95.0102