An Investigation of a Locomotive Structural Crashworthiness Using Finite Element Simulation

In this article, the crashworthiness of a locomotive is assessed through finite element analysis (FEA). The present investigation is focused on the analysis of a locomotive with driving cab to improve the modeling approach and exploring the intrinsic structural weaknesses to improve its crashworthin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:SAE International journal of commercial vehicles 2018-11, Vol.11 (4), p.235-244, Article 02-11-04-0019
Main Authors: Sharma, Sunil Kumar, Sharma, Rakesh Chandmal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Crash analysis
Crashworthiness
Finite element analysis
Finite element method
Locomotive
Locomotives
Mesh quality
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Summary:In this article, the crashworthiness of a locomotive is assessed through finite element analysis (FEA). The present investigation is focused on the analysis of a locomotive with driving cab to improve the modeling approach and exploring the intrinsic structural weaknesses to improve its crashworthiness. The analyses are conducted according to the EN 15227 standard, which provide crashworthiness requirements for locomotive structure. The finite element model is validated in terms of acceleration and energy balance by the experimental results. The validated model is further used to assess the crashworthiness behavior at a higher impact speed, that is, 100, 160, and 225 km/hr. It has been noticed that local buckling occurs at different points, which reduces the desired progressive damage behavior in the locomotive. The results indicate that at higher speed, large plastic deformation occurs in the frontal part of the locomotive. The maximum deformation is 8.22 m which occurs at the speed of 225 km/hr.
ISSN:1946-391X
1946-3928
1946-3928
DOI:10.4271/02-11-04-0019