Rail Vehicle Cab Car Collision and Corner Post Designs According to APTA S-034 Requirements

Abstract

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.

Developing Strategies for Maintaining Tank Car Integrity During Train Accidents

“…These features are then refined into detailed forms with preliminary design studies. This approach has been used to develop crush zones for passenger equipment [9, 10, and 11], the state-of-the-art cab car end frame design [12], and improved locomotive crashworthiness features [15]. Alternative design development approaches exist; any of which may result in an improved tank car conceptual design that differs from the conceptual design described in this paper.…”

“…This approach has been successfully applied to several research projects in the area of rail equipment crashworthiness. Examples include development of crush zones (referred to as crash energy management or CEM) for passenger equipment [9,10,11], a state-of-the-art cab car end frame [12] for preserving the operator's space, an improved workstation table for limiting abdominal injury [13], and an optimized commuter seat design [14] for protecting both rear and forward facing passengers. Concepts developed with this approach include deformable locomotive short hood and collision posts [15] for preserving the operator's space and inflatable structures for locomotive operator protection [16].…”

Evaluation of Occupant Volume Strength in Conventional Passenger Railroad Equipment

“…The generic railcar was modeled with a state-of-the-art (SOA) endframe, as well as continuous side sills. The endframe was chosen for its compliance with the most recent industry standards [13]. A SOA endframe is shown in Figure 6, with key structures indicated.…”

Improved Tank Car Safety Research

“…These features are then refined into detailed forms with preliminary design studies. This approach has been used to develop crush zones for passenger equipment [12,13,14], the state-of-the-art cab car end frame design [15], and improved locomotive crashworthiness features [16], as well as improved workstation tables [17], optimized commuter seats [18], and a conceptual design for inflatable structures for train operator protection [19].…”