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L. Corniani¹, P. Schito¹, J.R. Bell², J. Pombo³ and S. Bruni¹

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
²Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology, German Aerospace Center e.V., Göttingen, Germany
³Institute of Railway Research, University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom

doi:10.4203/ccc.15.5.10

L. Corniani, P. Schito, J.R. Bell, J. Pombo, S. Bruni, "Aerodynamic Forces in Intermodal Container Trains: A Study on the Effect of Wagon Position on Container Drag", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 5.10, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.5.10

Keywords: train aerodynamics, freight trains, CFD, RANS, drag, container position.

Abstract

Aerodynamic forces have a crucial role in the safe and efficient operation of freight trains. In particular, the drag of intermodal container trains is the focus of a considerable research effort because of its direct impact on the energy consumption and greenhouse gasses emissions of these the freight rail sector. The drag of containers in an intermodal container train can be affected by the proximity to the extremes of the train, among other factors. This means that the results obtained on one container train cannot be safely generalized to the other containers in a long intermodal container train, unless independence from these effects is established. Numerical simulations have been run on train consists of different length to assess the minimum number of wagons necessary to ensure independence form proximity to the extremes of the train. The drag coefficients on the containers are presented, demonstrating that at least nine wagons should be simulated to achieve this condition for the fourth and fifth wagon.

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Front Page Browse CCC CCP CSETS CTR IJRT Other Authors Search Purchase Guide FAQ Contact us	Civil-Comp Conferences ISSN 2753-3239 CCC: 15 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE Edited by: J. Pombo Paper 5.10 Aerodynamic Forces in Intermodal Container Trains: A Study on the Effect of Wagon Position on Container Drag L. Corniani¹, P. Schito¹, J.R. Bell², J. Pombo³ and S. Bruni¹ ¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy ²Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology, German Aerospace Center e.V., Göttingen, Germany ³Institute of Railway Research, University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom doi:10.4203/ccc.15.5.10 Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper L. Corniani, P. Schito, J.R. Bell, J. Pombo, S. Bruni, "Aerodynamic Forces in Intermodal Container Trains: A Study on the Effect of Wagon Position on Container Drag", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 5.10, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.5.10 Keywords: train aerodynamics, freight trains, CFD, RANS, drag, container position. Abstract Aerodynamic forces have a crucial role in the safe and efficient operation of freight trains. In particular, the drag of intermodal container trains is the focus of a considerable research effort because of its direct impact on the energy consumption and greenhouse gasses emissions of these the freight rail sector. The drag of containers in an intermodal container train can be affected by the proximity to the extremes of the train, among other factors. This means that the results obtained on one container train cannot be safely generalized to the other containers in a long intermodal container train, unless independence from these effects is established. Numerical simulations have been run on train consists of different length to assess the minimum number of wagons necessary to ensure independence form proximity to the extremes of the train. The drag coefficients on the containers are presented, demonstrating that at least nine wagons should be simulated to achieve this condition for the fourth and fifth wagon. download the full-text of this paper (PDF, 11 pages, 780 Kb) go to the previous paper go to the next paper return to the table of contents return to the volume description
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