Effect of line space on aerodynamic performance of two high-speed maglev trains passing by each other at the speed of 600 km/h in open air

The designed speed of high-speed maglev trains in China is as high as 600 km/h, and the intersection pressure amplitude increases sharply when two maglev trains passing by each other in open air at this speed, which can cause some damage to the train structures. Increasing the line space between two tracks is one of the key approaches to alleviate the intersection pressure wave induced by two trains passing by each other. To better understand the effect of the line space on the intersection pressure wave, the aerodynamic performance was studied using the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method together with the sliding mesh technology, and the pressure distribution, aerodynamic force and momentum of the train during the intersection process were analyzed and compared for three different line spaces, i.e. 5.1 m, 5.4 m and 5.6 m. The results show that the lift force, side force and the overturning moment decrease obviously with the increase of the line space. The maximum pressure, the absolute value of the minimum pressure and the maximum peak-peak pressure at the measurement points on the train surface all decrease linearly with the increase of the line space. For the line space of 5.1 m, the maximum intersection pressure amplitude is 5379 Pa, lower than the load limit of the train, i.e. ±6000 Pa, which meets the aerodynamic performance requirement for two trains passing by each other in open air at the speed of 600 km/h.