Study of Snow Accumulation on Bogies Based on the DPM

Abstract

During winters, the high-speed train in the northern of China, are struck by the recurring problems related to the snow and ice on the bogies. To understand the cause of snow packing in the high-speed train’s bogie regions clearly, a DPM discrete phase model were used to investigate the flow field carried snow particles in a single high-speed train bogie region and monitor the movement of snow particles. The results show that when air flows into the region which is a cavity, the airflow will rise and impact on the wheels, brakes, electromotors and other parts of bogie regions. The snow particles in the flow field will follow the path line of the air; while the air direction changes sharply, the snow particles will keep the movement due to the inertia. Afterwards, the snow is packed in the bogie region. In front of the obstacles the streamlines of the air flow and the particle path lines are basically the same. However, due to the inertia of mass particles, the following characteristics of the snow particles with the air are not obvious in the bogie leeward side, so there is much less snow.