Wind deflection analysis of railway catenary under crosswind based on nonlinear finite element model and wind tunnel test

Abstract

This paper evaluates the railway catenary's wind deflection under crosswind based on wind tunnel experiments and a nonlinear finite element model. A catenary model is constructed based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation to describe the geometrical nonlinearity of the system. The aerodynamic forces acting on the catenary are derived according to the quasi-steady theory, and the aerodynamic coefficients are obtained by wind tunnel experiments. A procedure to generate the three-dimensional fluctuating wind field along the catenary is presented. The extreme value of the wind deflection is estimated based on a Poisson approximation of the extreme value distribution. The numerical accuracy is validated by wind tunnel experimental results of an aeroelastic catenary. The response, statistics, frequency characteristics and extreme value of the contact wire's wind deflection are investigated through numerical simulations. The analysis results indicate that the maximum wind deflection will exceed the safety limit for the analysed catenary with a turbulence intensity of more than 15%. The adjustment of some critical parameters of the catenary system can reduce the maximum wind deflection.