The transient response of car body and side windows for high-speed trains passing by each other in a tunnel

The transient responses of car body and side windows for CRH2 high-speed trains passing by each other in a tunnel at different meeting conditions were investigated numerically using the Finite Element (FE) software LS-DYNA/explicit algorithm. Nine meeting cases including the case of meeting at the same speed and at the different speeds were respectively examined, where the moving pressure waves loaded on the surfaces of the observed train were obtained from the previous aerodynamics simulation. The typical transient responses (i.e., the stress and lateral displacement) of car body and side windows were analyzed, and the contribution of pressure wave to structural design strength of car body was also discussed. A comparison between the dynamic pressure wave loading simulation and the equivalent quasi-static loading simulation was also made. The simulation results indicate that both the von-Mises equivalent stress and lateral displacement of the car body are sensitive to the meeting speed. The side windows are subjected to the tensile stress in the most of response stage, and the maximum Y-directional stress of each monitor point presents a rapid increase with the increased meeting speed. The contribution rate of pressure wave to structural strength of the car body increases with the meeting speed. Besides, the dynamic pressure wave loading simulation method is demonstrated to be a better choice to investigate the transient response of the carriage. These research results are significant for ensuring the safety of the trains traveling in tunnels and elevating the safety of side windows.