Keywords: high-speed train, one-dimensional simulation method, train wave signature, critical tunnel length, train/tunnel aerodynamics, maximum positive pressure.

The passage of a high-speed train through a tunnel exposes it to substantial tunnel pressure waves, which are heavily affected by the length of the tunnel. Although there are different criteria to determine the critical tunnel length, none of them consider the characteristics of the maximum positive pressure experienced by the trailing carriage, which has been encountered in the field tests in China. To address this problem, by dividing the process of train-tunnel interaction into three stages based on their spatial relationship, and analyzing the effects of the train wave signature, four pressure states on the train have been summarized. In particular, for the measuring points located on the trailing carriage, a maximum positive pressure can be observed when the pressure state aligns with State 4, characterized by the train wave signature reflecting at the tunnel entrance and partially passing through the measuring location. Therefore a corresponding critical tunnel length is derived based on this time relationship. Current study will shed valuable insights into the aerodynamic behavior of high-speed trains running in tunnels and contribute to the optimization of tunnel design.

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