Train Vehicle Structure Design from the Perspective of Evacuation

• Published in: Chinese journal of mechanical engineering 2019-12, Vol.32 (1), p.1-13, Article 88
• Main Authors: Qiu, Hanzhao, Fang, Weining
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advanced Transportation Equipment; Computer simulation; Electrical Machines and Networks; Electronics and Microelectronics; Engineering; Engineering Thermodynamics; Evacuation; Heat and Mass Transfer; Instrumentation; Machines; Manufacturing; Mechanical Engineering; Original Article; Passenger train evacuation; Passenger trains; Passengers; Power Electronics; Processes; Simulation; Structural size; Theoretical and Applied Mechanics; Validation
• ISSN: 1000-9345; 2192-8258
• DOI: 10.1186/s10033-019-0399-6

The safety of trains, a highly efficient mode of transportation, has attracted significant attention. In the vehicle structure design of a train, the evaluation of the passenger evacuation time is necessary. The establishment of a simulation model is the fastest, most convenient, and practical way to achieve this goal. However, few scholars have focused on the reliability of a passenger train evacuation simulation model. This paper proposes a new validation method based on dynamic time warping and multidimensional scaling. The proposed method validates the dynamic process of a simulation model, provides statistical results, and can be used for small-sample scenarios such as a train evacuation scenario. The results of a case study indicate that the proposed method is an effective and quantitative approach to the validation of simulation models in a dynamic process. Thus, this paper describes the influence of the train structure size on an evacuation based on the results of simulation experiments. The structural size factors include the door width, aisle width, and seat pitch. The experiment results indicate that a wide aisle and reasonable seat pitch can promote a proper evacuation. In addition, a normal train door width has no effect on an evacuation.