Train-to-Train Impact Test of Crash-Energy Management Passenger Rail Equipment: Occupant Experiments

Details

• Creators:
  Severson, Kristine J. ; Parent, Daniel
• Corporate Creators:
  John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Crash tests
  • Crash injury research
  • Crash victim simulation
  • Dummies
  • Passenger cars
  • Commuter cars
  • Collisions
  • Occupant protection devices
  • Seats
  • Vehicle compartment components
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  IMECE2006-14420
• Resource Type:
  Proceedings
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Abstract:
  As part of an ongoing passenger rail crashworthiness effort, ; a full-scale impact test of a train with crash energy management ; (CEM) passenger cars was conducted on March 23, 2006. In ; this test, a train made up of a CEM cab car, four CEM coach ; cars, and a locomotive impacted a stationary train of similar ; mass at 30.8 mph. This test included five occupant experiments ; on the cab car and the first coach car to evaluate occupant ; injury risk and seat/table performance during the collision ; using anthropomorphic devices (ATDs). ; Three occupant protection strategies were evaluated in these ; occupant experiments. Forward-facing intercity seats were ; modified to reduce the high head injury risk observed in a ; previous test. Prototype commuter seats, included in both ; forward-facing and rear-facing orientations, were designed to ; mitigate the consequences of higher decelerations in the lead ; two CEM cars. Improved workstation tables, tested with two ; different advanced ATDs, were designed to compartmentalize ; the occupants and reduce the upper abdominal injury risk to the ; occupants. ; Similar experiments were also conducted on the two-car ; impact test of CEM equipment 1. The experiments described ; in this paper were conducted to evaluate the level of occupant ; protection provided by seats and tables that were specifically ; designed to improve crashworthiness. Pre-test analyses ; indicated that the occupant environment would be more severe ; for the CEM test than for the comparable test of conventional ; equipment. The environment in the leading cab car was ; predicted to be similar to a 12g, 250 millisecond triangular ; crash pulse. The environment in the first coach was predicted to ; be comparable to an 8g, 250 millisecond crash pulse. ; To aid the design of the occupant experiments, occupant ; response models were developed for each of the occupant ; experiments using MADYMO. These models were developed ; for the previous two-car CEM full-scale test and adapted to the ; newly designed commuter seats and tables. Predictions of the ; occupant response during the CEM train-to-train test were ; developed before the test. The models were subsequently finetuned ; to better agree with the test data, so that many different ; collision scenarios may be simulated. ; Most of the test results were similar to the pre-test ; predictions. The modified intercity seats successfully ; compartmentalized the occupants. The risk of both head and ; neck injury, however, were above the respective injury ; threshold values. In the forward-facing commuter seat ; experiment the impacted seat experienced a partial failure of ; the seat pedestal attachment, resulting in loss of ; compartmentalization. The attachment failures occurred ; because the seats weren't fabricated as designed. However, the ; occupants were still compartmentalized, and the injury criteria ; were within survivable levels. The rear-facing commuter seat ; experiment experienced a more significant failure of the seat ; pedestal attachment, resulting in a loss of ; compartmentalization. The attachment failures likely occurred ; because the seats were not fabricated as designed and the ; collision was slightly more severe than predicted. To assure that ; this failure mode is prevented in the future, a more robust ; attachment is currently being developed. It will be tested quasistatically ; and dynamically to demonstrate its effectiveness. The ; improved workstation tables successfully compartmentalized ; the occupants while limiting the injury risk to acceptable levels.
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• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9507/dot_9507_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.21 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Volpe Center
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fa9a54184408794baee9f7ef9831c04a23d64367fe337d3671ddd084712844c4d064f9e274ddaa6ec228b2a720adc4853f005af1404abb4acd068669fa66fbd3