Numerical simulation of rainwater accumulation and flow characteristics over windshield of high-speed trains

Abstract

In this paper, a Euler-Lagrangian particle/fluid film/VOF coupled multiphase flow model is presented. Numerical simulations are conducted, and the rainwater accumulation and flow characteristics over two types of windshields are studied based on the presented model. The results show that an uneven water film is formed over the windshield, with rain water accumulation occurring for the concave windshield but not for the convex windshield. At low speeds, the average fluid-film thickness for a concave windshield is larger than that of a convex windshield; however, a minor difference occurs between these two values at high speeds, and a critical velocity is observed for the two types of windshields. When the train velocity is less than the critical velocity, the fluid film at the lower part of the windshield and the train nose flows downward, and beyond the critical velocity, the fluid film over the entire windshield and train nose flows upward.

Keywords

high-speed train / windshield / rainwater accumulation / aerodynamic characteristics

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