Experimental Study and Numerical Simulation of Thermal Effect on Dynamic Performance of High-Speed Maglev Train/Guideway System

The guideway’s alignment deviations are of concern when assessing the vibrations of high-speed maglev transportation systems. Among these, the deformation of the guideway due to solar thermal effects is a critical issue impacting the operational efficiency of a maglev train running on a guideway system. To address this issue, this study integrates solar radiation, shadow masking, heat convection and radiative heat transfer to present a thermal-mechanical coupling model for investigating the temperature-deformation field of guideway girders. Meanwhile, on-site measurements are conducted to confirm the feasibility of using temperature field distribution to estimate the thermal deformation of guideway girders. A solar-thermal field formula suitable for a maglev vehicle-guideway system is proposed to estimate the temperature field distribution on the guideway girders by referencing the formulas in the known specifications. Finally, this paper introduces an electromagnetic feedback controller that adjusts the maglev forces using real-time thermal deformation data to mitigate the effects of solar thermal-induced guideway deformation on the maglev vehicle-guideway system, demonstrating that the dynamic response of a maglev train is significantly influenced by the thermal deformation of guideway girders due to sensitive variations in levitation gaps.