Study on snow removal characteristics and safety of the high-speed train operating through a snowdrift based on SPH-FEM coupling method

Abstract

When the high-speed train operates in high-latitude and cold regions, it often encounters a large amount of snowfall due to the weather, which leads to delays or even stoppage of the vehicles. It is of great engineering significance to ensure the fast and safe operation of the high-speed train after snowfall. In this paper, the snow plow for removing obstacles (SPRO) was evaluated in order for the high-speed train to operate in snowy environment. The smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method was adopted in this paper to simulate snowdrift on the rail. The dynamic response and safety of high-speed train operating under snowy environment were explored through the vehicle-snowdrift coupled finite element model based on the Ls-dyna solution. The deformation mode of the snowdrift, the trajectory of the particles after splashing, the variation of the longitudinal resistance force, the wheel-rail contact force and the wheel unloading rate were analyzed. The numerical results showed that the high applicability of the SPH in tracking the details of the particle splash, in addition to the accurate prediction of the dynamic response. Numerical comparisons were made to investigate the effects of different operating speeds, snow depths and snow densities on the dynamic response, and the prediction formula for the longitudinal resistance force was construct. The effects of different boundary conditions on the operational safety of high-speed train in snowy environments was analyzed.