Wind tunnel experimental investigation on the performance of the ice-melting system for high-speed train bogies

Abstract In strong wind-snow environments, the icing phenomenon in the bogie region can adversely affect the operational safety of high-speed trains. This study aims to design an ice-melting system that applies to high-speed train bogies and investigate its de-icing performance. The icing experiments with a scaled real bogie were first conducted in the icing and snowing wind tunnel at Central South University in China to obtain the icing distribution and thickness characteristics in the bogie region. Based on the results of icing experiments, a heating ice-melting system was designed, and the flat plate ice-melting experiments with different ice thicknesses were further carried out. The influence of ice-melting power, ice thickness, and the angle between the ice layer and the incoming flow on ice-melting characteristics was comprehensively analyzed. Findings indicate that ice-melting power and ice thickness are negatively and positively correlated with ice-melting time, respectively. As the angle between the ice layer and the incoming flow increases, the ice-melting time first increases and then decreases. Additionally, considering ice-melting energy consumption, lower ice-melting power results in reduced energy consumption for the same ice thickness and inclination angle. The ice-melting characteristics obtained in this study can provide valuable information and insights for the design of bogie ice-melting schemes and ice-melting energy saving for high-speed trains operating in cold regions.