A study on the resistance force and the aerodynamic drag of Korean high-speed trains

The resistance force as well as the aerodynamic drag of Korean high-speed trains including two commercial trains, the KTX and the KTX-Sancheon (KTX-II) and two experimental trains, the HSR-350X and the HEMU-430X have been studied comprehensively. To deduce the aerodynamic drag of the trains, the coefficients of the Davis equation, which is a universal formulation to represent the resistance to motion of the train, have been calculated using the coasting test method and analysed in comparison with those by empirical prediction methods. In case of HEMU-430X train, the equations of resistance to motion have been calculated by an alternative regression method that is established in this study. The results show that the suggested method can successively yield the resistance to motion equation from the coasting test measurements with varying air density by separating the aerodynamic drag from the total resistance of train. It also prevents from improper coefficients which are occasionally taken by normal regression method in irregular coasting condition. After yielding the aerodynamic drag of the trains from the resistance to motion equations, characteristics of the aerodynamic drag have been analysed and compared between the trains.