Analysis of risk for high-speed trains caused by crosswind in subgrade settlement zones based on CFD-FE coupling

Subgrade differential settlement of high-speed railways was a pivotal issue that could increase the risk of trains operation. The risk will be further increased when trains in the subsidence zone are affected by crosswinds. In this paper, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and finite element (FE) model were established, and the data transmission interface of the two models was established by fluid-solid interaction (FSI) method to form a systematic crosswind-train-track-subgrade dynamic model. The risk of high-speed train encountering crosswind in settlement area was analyzed. The results showed that the aerodynamic force of the trains increased significantly with the increase in crosswind speed. The aerodynamic force of the trains could reach 125.14 kN, significantly increasing the risk of derailment and overturning. Considering the influence of crosswind, the risk of train operation could be greatly increased. The safety indices and the wheel-rail force both increased with the increase of the wind speed. For the high-speed train running at 350 km/h, the warning value of wind speed was 10.2 m /s under the condition of subgrade settlement with wavelength of 20 m and amplitude of 15 mm.