| Title | Evaluation of occupant volume strength in conventional passenger railroad equipment : a thesis submitted by Michael E. Carolan |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 48001 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Carolan, Michael E. |
| Personal Name Contributor |
Perlman, A. B. |
| Source | 174p. in various pagings |
| Corporate Creator | Tufts University |
| Publisher | Tufts University |
| Publication Date | 20080531 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | To ensure a level of occupant volume protection, passenger railway equipment operating on mainline railroads in the United States must currently be designed to resist an 800,000 pound compressive load applied statically to the underframe. An alternative manner of evaluating the strength of the occupied volume is sought that will ensure the same level of protection for occupants of the equipment as the current test but will allow for a greater variety of equipment to be evaluated. A finite element (FE) model of the structural components of the railcar has been applied to examine the existing compressive strength test and evaluate selected alternate testing scenarios. Using simplified geometry and material properties in the model, the gross behaviors of the railcar are captured without excessive processing time. This simplified modeling technique was used to construct FE models of a generic single-level railcar and an exemplar multilevel railcar. Both models can be interpreted to have some single beam-like behaviors. In each model, the existing compressive load results in a significant bending moment as well as the prescribed compressive load. The alternative load cases examined demonstrate that a larger total compressive force may be distributed across the end structure of the railcar and result in similar stress levels throughout the structural frame as are observed from application of the conventional proof load. |
| Rosap ID | dot:10034 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/10034 |
| TRT Terms | Finite element method; Structural analysis; Railroad cars; Passenger cars; Crashes; Occupant protection devices; Compression tests; Load tests |
| General Subjects | Finite element method; Structural analysis (Engineering); Railroad cars; Railroad passenger cars; Railroad accidents; Materials--Compression tests; Load factor design |
| Classification | NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Rail Safety; NTL - RAIL TRANSPORTATION - Rail Safety |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| Availability | Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center |
| Resource type | Thesis |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/48000/48000/48001/carolan.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |