Aerodynamic characteristics of the evacuated tube maglev train considering the suspension gap

In recent years, the evacuated tube maglev train (ETMT) has gradually become the research hotspot due to the increasing demand of the travelling speed. The suspension gap related to running safety is one of the critical factors of the maglev-type selection. The aerodynamic characteristics of ETMT are therefore studied under different suspension gaps. In this study, the 3-D motion processes of ETMT under the different suspension gaps are reproduced by the dynamic mesh method. The reliability of the numerical algorithm has been verified by the classical experimental data. The results show that the suspension gap mainly affects the pressure and temperature distributions at the ETMT bottom. The gap increase contributes to increasing the drag and lift of TC and decreasing the HC drag. The gap decrease is helpful to shorten the formation time of the normal shock wave and enhance the 'ground effect' and shock effect on the ground.