Why do superfast trains (maglev) have extra long noses even though the already look like airplanes (i.e. long tubes)?
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I haven’t heard this reason yet which is probably the main reason they are shaped that way.
I’m a former aerodynamicist so I know enough to make it look like I know what I’m talking about.
Most bullet trains are symmetrical front to rear so they don’t have to turn around when going back.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-high-speed-train-vector-140744887.html
The optimal drag reduction shape in subsonic flow is a teardrop – where it’s round in the front and tapered in the back to a point.
Well if you have that shape, when you run it in reverse, it creates a huge amount of drag with the blunt rounded end now in the back.
If you have a pointy front, it’s not that much worse than a rounded front but the you also get the benefits of a nicely tapered back when running in reverse.
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