Locomotive cab occupant protection

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Proceedings of the 2003 International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition
• Creators:
  Zolock, John ; Tyrell, David C.
• Corporate Creators:
  John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Locomotives
  • Cabs (Vehicle compartments)
  • Collisions
  • Crashworthiness
  • Impact tests
  • Crash injury research
  • Crash victim simulation
  • Occupant protection devices
  • Vehicle padding
  • Inflatable structures
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  IMECE2003-44121
• Resource Type:
  Proceedings
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Abstract:
  The effectiveness of fitting a locomotive cab with a passive inflatable restraint system utilizing inflatable structures, and interior padding to protect the operator has been evaluated for the in-line collision scenario. It is a challenge to design a system that increases protection for the locomotive operator within the cab during accidents, while allowing that operator to react to a specific situation by choosing either to leave or remain in the seat or cab. Numerous strategies have been proposed to increase locomotive cab occupant protection; however, most of these proposals have either required an active response from the cab occupants, e.g., getting into a refuge, or inhibited the potential for fleeing the cab, e.g., seatbelts. ; In this study, the occupant protection of a typical locomotive cab interior with a vertical console-stand style control is compared with the occupant protection of an interior modified with the addition of two tube-shaped inflatable structures for secondary impact injury mitigation. The crashworthiness performances of these two interior arrangements are compared for in-line train-to-train collision scenarios that approximate a locomotive-led train collision with another locomotive or cab car-led train. ; The analysis uses, as a basis, accident data and information on the crashworthiness performance of the locomotive interior in a train-to-train collision between a standing locomotive-led consist and a moving cab car-led consist conducted on January 31, 2002 at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colorado. An analysis model is developed and validated using the full-scale train-to-train test locomotive interior/occupant experiment. The interior/occupant model then serves as a means of interpolating to different crash pulses, and with the alternative protection method using inflatable tube-like structures and interior padding. A range of locomotive operator sizes is investigated, as well as a range of selected initial seating positions for the locomotive operator.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9889/dot_9889_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 562.04 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Volpe Center ; Federal Railroad Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:3f6ec713eccf08d5126c7d4b3a3b740b580ebe41d2534306c024460c33cb557c