Modelling Study to Validate Finite Element Simulation of Railway Vehicle Behaviour in Collisions

Half-width/full-length and half-width/half-length vehicle models, based on geometrical symmetries, have been adopted widely in the finite element modelling of rolling stock structural behaviour. These techniques have been successful in the analysis of rail vehicles undergoing static loading, such as the proof load test, and in basic impact studies. Until now, such rail vehicle impact tests and associated simulations have been largely confined to impact scenarios where a rail vehicle collides with a rigid wall or a rigid body. This is also a standard model specified in the crashworthiness section of the Technical Standards for Interoperability. The authors identified a need to study the limitations of these impact scenarios and modelling techniques when applied to dynamic impacts. The authors of the paper present the results of studies focusing on the above areas. The work was carried out by means of finite element analysis and comparison. The train set studied is a conventionally designed high-speed electric multiple unit. Finite element models of full vehicle structures were used in all impact scenarios. It was found that impact modelling could mask some structural weaknesses when using a rigid wall as the impacted object. A symmetrical impact was shown to lead to an unsymmetrical result and, therefore, both half and quarter structure models may hide some aspects of crash behaviour. These findings have significance for both impact simulation and the physical testing of rail vehicles.