United States Department of Transportation
i
Dynamic Test of a Collision Post of a State-of-the-Art End Frame Design
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2008-09-24
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[PDF-908.48 KB]
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Abstract:In support of the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA)
Railroad Equipment Safety Program, a full-scale dynamic test
of a collision post of a state-of-the-art (SOA) end frame was
conducted on April 16, 2008. The purpose of the test was to
evaluate the dynamic method for demonstrating energy
absorption and graceful deformation of a collision post.
The post aims to protect the operators and passengers in
the event of a collision where only the superstructure, not the
underframe, is loaded. Methods for improving the performance
of collision and corner posts were prompted by accidents such
as the fatal collision in Portage, Indiana in 1998, where a coil
of steel sheet metal penetrated the cab car through the collision
post.
The improvements made for the SOA end frame structure
include more substantial corner and collision posts, robust post
connections to the buffer beam and anti-telescoping (AT) beam,
and corner and collision posts integrated with a shelf and
bulkhead sheet. Full length side sills improved support for the
end frame. This test focused on one collision post because of its
critical position in protecting the operator and passengers in an
impact with an object at a grade-crossing.
For the test, a 14,000-lb cart impacted a standing cab car at
a speed of 18.7 mph. The cart had a rigid coil shape mounted
on the leading end that concentrated the impact load on the
collision post. The requirements for protecting the operator's
space state that there will be no more than 10 inches of
longitudinal crush and none of the attachments of any of the
structural members separate.
During the test, the collision post deformed approximately
7.4 inches and absorbed approximately 138,000 ft-lb of energy.
The attachment between the post and the AT beam remained
intact. The connection between the post and the buffer beam
did not completely separate, however the forward flange and
both side webs fractured. The post itself did not completely
fail. There was material failure in the back and the sides of the
post at the impact location. Overall, the end frame was
successful in absorbing energy and preserving space for the
operators and the passengers.
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