A Chinese scientific study suggested adding five pairs of wings to each car of the country’s high-speed trains to reduce its weight and increase speed by 28.6%.
According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, the study, which is part of the official CR450 project, which aims to increase the speed of existing trains, found that adding small wings could generate enough lift to reduce its weight by a third, increasing speed to 450 kilometers per hour. Chinese traditional high-speed trains currently run at 350 kilometers per hour.
Japanese engineers had a similar idea in the 1980s, but it was discarded because the wings were too large and made it impossible for trains to travel on existing railroads and tunnels. However, Chinese scientists chose to place smaller wings on the roof of the trains, rather than on the sides, as the same publication offers.
According to the scientists, who published their study in the scientific journal “Acta Aerodynamics Seneca”, the idea is “an advance in the aerodynamics of a high-speed train that would reduce costs and energy,” although they cautioned that higher speeds could reduce “the lifespan of a high-speed train.” wheels and that the wings must be carefully installed and designed.”
China’s high-speed rail network is 37,900 kilometers long, making up more than two-thirds of the world’s total.
China’s first high-speed line – running 117 kilometers between Beijing and Tianjin – began operating in 2008, when the Chinese capital hosted the Olympic Games, 28 years after the birth of the French TGV.
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