Numerical research on aerodynamic characteristic optimization of pantograph fixing place on high speed train

At present, the aerodynamic characteristic of the pantograph has been attached more importance to with the improvement of the high speed train. The excellent aerodynamic characteristic of the pantograph is a significant factor ensuring the current collecting stability between the pantograph and catenary and increasing the using life. The studying methods on it include theoretical computing, numerical simulation and experimentation. Using the commercial soft Fluent, the numerical research of the pantograph aerodynamic characteristic has been made in the different installing place. The calculation precision has been obtained with the suitable meshing, selecting appropriate turbulent model and adopting the right boundary conditions. The simulation results show that the lifting force changes with the fixing place and the dragging force does not transform basically when not considering crosswind. When the crosswind is taken into account, the lifting force changes obviously and the total rolling moment do not change with the installing location. By optimization, the fixing position with the best aerodynamic characteristic is found.