AERODYNAMIC FORCES ON MAGLEV VEHICLES

The results of four separate tasks are documented: 1) minimization of front-end drag; 2) effect of fineness ratio (ratio of length to diameter) on drag; 3) design of aerosurfaces for control purposes, and 4) control and dynamics of maglev vehicles with aerodynamic control surfaces. Task 1 examines the flow disturbances near the nose of a high speed channel vehicle which cause vortices to form near the tops of the guidewalls. These vortices are a major source of drag. The nose of the train can be idealized as a source flow, and the walls of the channel guideway are represented as two vertical flat plates. A numerical solution of the two-dimensional unsteady problem is presented. Using a representative design example, the nose shape which provides the minimum drag is derived from this solution. Under task 2, drag data is presented from the automotive industry, the Japanese National Railway, Krauss-Maffei, and Tracked Hovercraft Limited. An empirical formula is used to estimate the drag of vehicles designed for channel and box beam guideways. The optimum width for these cases is derived. Under Task 3, a simple numerical scheme is described for computing the lift and drag on an aerosurface with a control flap operating in close proximity to a guideway surface. It is shown that large variations in lift can be produced using very small flap angles. Task 4 examines the improvement in ride quality which is possible through the use of aerodynamic control surfaces. Comparisons are made between vehicles with active and passive secondary suspensions with aerodynamic control surfaces mounted on the vehicle body or control flaps in the vehicle bogies.

• Record URL:
  https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/aerodynamic-forces-maglev-vehicles
• Corporate Authors:

  Draper (Charles Stark) Laboratory, Incorporated

  555 Technology Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02139

  Federal Railroad Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Barrows, T
  • McCullum, D
  • MARK, S
  • Castellino, R C
• Publication Date: 1992-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 188p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamic force; Drag; Ground effect; High speed ground transportation; Magnetic levitation vehicles; Mathematical models; Matrices (Mathematics); Suspension systems; Turbulence; Vortices
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00643976
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT-FRA-NMI-92-21, CSDL-R-2463
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 15 1994 12:00AM