Crashworthiness of High Speed Rail Systems.
Sullivan, Laura.
2011
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Abstract: Rail
crashworthiness research focuses on the ability of passenger rail equipment to protect
its occupants in the event of a collision. The main goals of crashworthiness are to
preserve space for the occupants and to limit the decelerations of the occupants to
survivable levels. The goal of this research is to explore current high-speed trainsets
and determine the level of structural ... read morecrashworthiness they can provide to the occupant.
One of the most effective ways of providing structural crashworthiness is through crash
energy management. A crash energy management system (CEM) utilizes energy absorbing
crushable elements and a strong vehicle structure to disperse collision energy in a
controlled manner and provide protection to passengers. A survey of high-speed rail
systems currently in operation was performed to determine appropriate equipment
characteristics. An appropriate collision scenario was selected by reviewing accidents
involving high speed equipment. Occupant safety was assessed by examining the
performance of the equipment in the chosen collision scenario by using a one-dimensional
lumped-parameter collision dynamics model to simulate a series of collisions. The
features of interest are the energy absorbing capacity of the crush zone and the
strength of the occupied volume and the influence that each of these features has on
structural crashworthiness. Key results examined include the maximum collision speed
without loss of occupant space, the distribution of crush throughout the cars of the
train, and the severity of the deceleration experienced by the
passengers.
Thesis (M.S.)--Tufts University, 2011.
Submitted to the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor: Douglas Matson.
Committee: Benjamin Perlman, and David Tyrell.
Keyword: Mechanical engineering.read less - ID:
- 0g354s27t
- Component ID:
- tufts:21017
- To Cite:
- TARC Citation Guide EndNote
