The American Public Transportation Association standard for rail passenger equipment, S-034, includes requirements for the collision and corner posts of cab cars that are consistent with new federal requirements and substantially different than what has been required in the past. This paper describes the development and evaluation of two cab car end frame designs that were generated to investigate the implications on crashworthiness and operations of the new standards. A review was undertaken of prior cab car crashworthiness research and of existing and planned cab car designs for North American operation. The two designs were then generated and both hand and finite element analysis, including analysis for large deformations, was conducted to demonstrate that the designs meet the requirements. Of particular interest is the issue of providing large deformation capacity of the posts and the implications of eliminating the stairwell to meet the strength requirements.
This paper presents information on the design of a rail vehicle crush zone for better occupant protection. The overall design requirements and characteristics are described and the configuration for the various structural subsystems is presented. The paper also includes information on full-scale component tests carried out to support the development of the design, particularly for the primary energy absorbers. Comparisons between test and finite element analysis are presented and there is a discussion of how the test results have affected the design.
The use of crush zones in passenger rail vehicles is rapidly growing in the United States and throughout the world. Such crush zones are an important part of the crash energy management philosophy of train occupant protection. The objective of this study was to determine the advantages, disadvantages and issues related to incorporating crush zones at the ends of coach cars for protection in collisions between two trains. The general specifications for the crush zone were selected after consideration of the energy and forces that can be accommodated in such structures. Various designs were considered to meet these requirements and one of these was selected for more detailed development and evaluation. The effort included design layout and nonlinear dynamic finite element analysis to determine crush response.
This paper presents the results of an experimental study to establish the strength and energy absorption capability of cab car rail vehicle corner structures built to current strength requirements and for structures modified to carry higher loads and absorb more energy. We reviewed current structures and designed an end beam test element — the most common way of meeting current requirements — whose strength in the baseline state was at least 150,000 lbf. This design was then modified to provide a strength of over 400,000 lbf. The designs, which included consideration of the deformation and fracture response under impact loading, were carried out using conventional structural engineering methods and explicit finite element analysis.
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