Effect of RANS Turbulence Model on Aerodynamic Behavior of Trains in Crosswind

Abstract The numerical simulation based on Reynolds time-averaged equation is one of the approved methods to evaluate the aerodynamic performance of trains in crosswind. However, there are several turbulence models, trains may present different aerodynamic performances in crosswind using different turbulence models. In order to select the most suitable turbulence model, the inter-city express 2 (ICE2) model is chosen as a research object, 6 different turbulence models are used to simulate the flow characteristics, surface pressure and aerodynamic forces of the train in crosswind, respectively. 6 turbulence models are the standard k-ε, Renormalization Group (RNG) k-ε, Realizable k-ε, Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-ω, standard k-ω and Spalart–Allmaras (SPA), respectively. The numerical results and the wind tunnel experimental data are compared. The results show that the most accurate model for predicting the surface pressure of the train is SST k-ω, followed by Realizable k-ε. Compared with the experimental result, the error of the side force coefficient obtained by SST k-ω and Realizable k-ε turbulence model is less than 1 %. The most accurate prediction for the lift force coefficient is achieved by SST k-ω, followed by RNG k-ε. By comparing 6 different turbulence models, the SST k-ω model is most suitable for the numerical simulation of the aerodynamic behavior of trains in crosswind.