Overview
This is a FREE lecture and will be presented by Professor Chris Baker, Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education.
This lecture will give an overview of the current concerns in this field and describe the work being carried out at both a fundamental level and for a range of industrial clients by the Aerodynamics team at the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, using computational techniques, physical models and on-track measurements. Chris will also consider what the future might hold for the field of Railway Aerodynamics.
It has been appreciated for many years that trains can reduce their energy costs by suitable streamlining of the train ends, with a resulting reduction of aerodynamic drag. However, drag reduction is only one of a number of aerodynamic issues that arise in train and infrastructure design.
Factors to consider include:
- Pressure changes passengers experience as trains pass through tunnels
- Effects of train slipstreams and pressure pulses on waiting passengers
- Trackside structures and the stability of trains in high crosswinds
These effects become more pronounced as train speeds increase, and new problems begin to appear so Chris will take you through the research findings and what is on the horizon for railway aerodynamics.
Registration with refreshments will take place from 17:15.
The lecture will begin at 18:00 and conclude at approximately 19:30.