A Numerical Approach for Simulating a High-Speed Train Passing through a Tornado-Like Vortex

Tornados are one of the most common natural disasters, but their occurrence can be sudden and unpredictable. For trains operating in the areas where tornadoes frequently happen, the operation safety is challenged. Tornado generator was recently proposed as a method of numerical investigation of tornado-like vortex flows. This paper presents a numerical approach for the simulation of train passing through a tornado-like vortex on realistic scale. It is found that the tornado-like vortex causes appearance of localized regions of a negative pressure on the train and transient variations of the aerodynamic loads acting on the train. As a result, the tornado-like vortex causes swings on the lateral force, and subsequently on the rolling moment, which affect the passenger comfort and operation safety of the train. The method presented herein can be further applied to the study of train behavior and real time response while encountering tornadoes of different types and strength, which is significant for evaluating the operation safety of high-speed trains.