High speed German Aerospace Centre in
Germany’s Aerospace Centre in Göttingen is investigating concepts for the so-called Next Generation Train with a view to developing a very-high-speed double-deck train. Anitra Green visited the centre to see how the project is progressing.
OU may be forgiven for wondering what the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has to do with rail transport since their main task is to research the behaviour of objects that are air or space-borne. The answer is simple: DLR has gained a great deal of experience with aerodynamics since it was founded over 100 years ago, and has developed a number of sophisticated techniques to measure the behaviour of moving objects in a variety of atmospheric conditions. This expertise can be put to good use for high-speed trains, as their aerodynamic characteristics are crucial to safety and performance. The DLR’s Next Generation Train (NGT) project, designed to create a double-deck very-high-speed train, involves researchers from nine DLR institutes, including the Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Göttingen, where model trains have been undergoing tests in specially-built wind tunnels since October 2010. The aim is to increase the maximum commerical speed of high-speed trains to 400km/h, while at the same time halving energy consumption, increasing passenger comfort, cutting aerodynamic noise, improving safety standards and reducing wear and life-cycle costs. The new ƒ3m research facility for high-speed trains in Göttingen has two specially-designed tunnels, which DLR says are unique, to investigate various factors affecting train behaviour. The tunnel simulation facility (TSG) is also unique - a 60m track equipped with a plexiglass tunnel which can accommodate model trains of any scale from 1:20 to 1:100. The really surprising feature is that the model trains are accelerated by one of the oldest methods known to
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mankind: a catapult. The idea surfaced when archaeologists found a large number of catapult missiles on an old Roman site nearby. As Professor Andreas Dillmann, director of the Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology, comments with a smile: “We thought if the Romans could do it, so can we.” And it does the job perfectly: models can be catapulted at up to 100m/s to a maximum speed of 400km/h.
One of the biggest problems facing high-speed trains is the impact of cross winds on stability. “Trains are becoming lighter, which means that at high speed the leading vehicle can leave the rails,” says Dillmann. “At speeds of 300km/h the front section of a double-deck train can start to lift, making it prone to tilting in strong side winds, despite the fact that the train may weigh several hundred tonnes. There have already been 30 to 40 incidents in Germany
IRJ July 2013
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