United States Department of Transportation
i
Conventional and Crash Energy Management Locomotive Coupling Tests
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2019-09-01
[PDF-5.83 MB]
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Abstract:Crash energy management (CEM) components which can be integrated into the end structure of a locomotive were developed: a push-back coupler (PBC) and a deformable anti-climber (DAC). These components are designed to inhibit override in the event of a collision. The results of vehicle-to-vehicle override, where the strong underframe of one vehicle, typically a locomotive, impacts the weaker superstructure of the other vehicle, can be devastating. These components are designed to improve crashworthiness for equipped locomotives in a wide range of potential collisions, including collisions with conventional locomotives, conventional cab cars, and freight equipment. Concerns have been raised in discussions with industry that PBCs may trigger prematurely, and may require replacement due to unintentional activation as a result of service loads. PBCs are designed with trigger loads greater than the expected maximum service loads experienced by conventional couplers. Two sets of coupling tests were conducted to demonstrate this, one with a conventional locomotive, and another with a conventional locomotive retrofit with a PBC. These tests allowed a performance comparison of a conventional locomotive with a CEM-equipped locomotive during coupling. Test results demonstrate that PBCs will not trigger at typical coupling speeds, and will trigger at the proper force level.
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