scholarly journals Evaluation of Testing Methods to Develop Test Requirements for a Workstation Table Safety Standard

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Severson ◽  
A. Benjamin Perlman ◽  
Michelle Muhlanger ◽  
Richard Stringfellow
Keyword(s):  
Impact Testing ◽  
Minimum Level ◽  
Testing Methods ◽  
Safety Standard ◽  
Sled Test ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Equipment Safety ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Energy Absorbing ◽  
Test Requirements

Investigations of passenger train accidents have revealed serious safety hazards associated with the thin, rigid tops of workstation tables, which are common fixtures aboard rail cars. Thoracic and abdominal injuries caused by occupant impact with workstation tables have been cited as the likely cause of two fatalities during a 2002 accident in Placentia, CA [1]. Additionally, workstation tables have been cited as the cause of injury in reports on accidents in Intercession City, FL [2], and Burbank, CA [3]. Currently there are no regulations or safety standards governing the crashworthiness of tables in passenger trains beyond attachment strength requirements. However, research sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and in collaboration with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Passenger Rail Equipment Safety Standards (PRESS) Construction & Structural working group is underway to develop a mandatory industry safety standard for tables to ensure that they will be designed to provide a minimum level of safety during a train accident. FRA’s Equipment Safety Research Program has already developed and tested a prototype table design to demonstrate the improved occupant protection provided by an energy-absorbing table. The prototype table design was tested using a THOR [4] and an H3RS [5], which are advanced anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs), onboard a 35 mph full-scale train-to-train impact test of rail cars modified to incorporate crash energy management (CEM) [6]. Test results demonstrated that the Injury Assessment Reference Values (IARVs) measured by the instrumented ATDs were within human tolerance levels established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for automotive crashworthiness for the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and femur. Having demonstrated the effectiveness of an energy-absorbing table, the next step is developing a performance-based safety standard for tables that ensures a minimum level of crashworthiness. The safety standard would employ the use of an 8G dynamic sled test with instrumented ATDs to evaluate occupant injury and structural integrity of the table, similar to the seat test requirements in APTA-SS-C&S-016-99 [7], which is the industry safety standard for passenger seats in rail cars. Normally, advanced ATDs like the THOR would be required to measure abdominal and thoracic loads caused by the table impact during the sled test. However, use of these experimental ATDs for table qualification testing is not feasible due to their limited availability. Therefore, alternative test methods must be developed to evaluate the crashworthiness of workstation tables. This paper evaluates several potential methods to measure table crashworthiness, including quasi-static crush testing, pendulum impact testing, drop tower testing, and sled testing with standard Hybrid III 50th percentile ATDs. The pros and cons of these tests are also described. After evaluating the various testing methods, test conditions for two separate tests are proposed for an industry table standard. A companion paper [8] describes analysis results used to establish performance requirements proposed for evaluating table crashworthiness for the safety standard, in accordance with the test conditions proposed in this paper.

Concepts and Production Results of Heavy Wall Linepipe in Grades up to X 70 for Sour Service

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Liessem ◽  
Volker Schwinn ◽  
Jean-Pierre Jansen ◽  
Rolf K. Poepperling
Keyword(s):  
Standard Test ◽  
Pipe Production ◽  
Testing Methods ◽  
The Past ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Hydrogen Induced Cracking ◽  
Special Project ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
Test Requirements ◽  
Sour Service

This paper summarizes the main mechanism and influencing factors for Hydrogen Induced Cracking. The evolution of HIC test requirements over nearly 30 years for linepipe intended for sour service are reviewed. Some typical examples of the requirements for sour service pipe production at Europipe (formerly Mannesmann) developed over the past 20 years and the details of trial production of sour service pipes in grade X 70 with 30 mm wall thickness are presented. However, with the steadily increasing demands it becomes progressively more difficult to fulfill the before mentioned standard test conditions. In those cases where the overall profile of requirements (strength, toughness) can not be consistently achieved, fit-for-purpose testing methods are currently emerging. As an example the results of a pipe order, where the fit-for-purpose approach has been used to qualify the pipe for a special project, will be described.

scholarly journals Finite Element Analysis of the Passenger Rail Equipment Workstation Table Sled Test

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Eshraghi ◽  
Kristine Severson ◽  
David Hynd ◽  
A. Benjamin Perlman
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Fe Model ◽  
Safety Standard ◽  
Sled Test ◽  
Passenger Rail ◽  
Hybrid Iii ◽  
Energy Absorbing ◽  
The U.S

Fixed workstation tables in passenger rail coaches can pose a potential injury hazard for passengers seated at them during an accident. Tables designed to absorb impact energy while minimizing contact forces can reduce the risk of serious injury, while helping to compartmentalize occupants during a train collision. The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) in the U.K. issued safety requirement GM/RT2100, Issue 5 [1] and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in the U.S. issued safety standard APTA PR-CS-S-018-13, Rev. 1 [2] with the goals of setting design and performance requirements for energy-absorbing workstation tables. The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research, Development and Technology directed the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) to evaluate the performance of the Hybrid-III Rail Safety (H3-RS) anthropomorphic test device (ATD), also known as a test dummy, in the APTA sled test in order to incorporate a reference to the H3-RS in the safety standard. The Volpe Center contracted with the manufacturer of the H3-RS, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), in the U.K. to conduct a series of sled tests [3] with energy-absorbing tables, donated by various table manufacturers. The tables were either already compliant with the RSSB table standard or were being developed to comply with the APTA table standard. The sled test specified in Option A of the APTA table standard involves the use of two different 50th percentile male frontal impact ATDs. The H3-RS and the standard Hybrid-III (H3-50M) ATDs performed as expected. The H3-RS, which features bilateral deflection sensors in the chest and abdomen, was able to measure abdomen deflections while the H3-50M, which features a single sensor measuring chest compression, was not equipped to measure abdomen deflection. This study attempts to validate a finite element (FE) model of the APTA 8G sled test with respect to the thorax response of the H3-RS and H3-50M. The model uses a simplified rigid body-spring representation of one of the energy absorbing tables tested by TRL. The FE models of the H3-RS ATD and the H3-50M ATD were provided by TRL and LSTC, respectively. Results from the sled tests and FE simulations are compared using data obtained from the chest accelerometer, the chest and abdomen deflection sensors, and the femur load cells. Using video analysis, the gross motion of the dummies and table are also compared. Technical challenges related to model validation of the 8G sled test are also discussed. This study builds on previous analyses conducted to validate the abdomen response of the H3-RS FE model, which are presented in a companion paper [4].

Dynamic Impact Testing of Polyurethane Energy Absorbing (EA) Foams

1994 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Sounik ◽  
Dennis W. McCullough ◽  
John L. Clemons ◽  
John L. Liddle
Keyword(s):  
Impact Testing ◽  
Dynamic Impact ◽  
Energy Absorbing

scholarly journals Current Trends in Integration of Nondestructive Testing Methods for Engineered Materials Testing

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6175
Author(s):  
Ramesh Kumpati ◽  
Wojciech Skarka ◽  
Sunith Kumar Ontipuli
Keyword(s):  
Nondestructive Testing ◽  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Mechanical Testing ◽  
Impact Testing ◽  
Materials Testing ◽  
Testing Methods ◽  
Molecular Arrangement ◽  
Nondestructive Techniques ◽  
Nondestructive Testing Methods ◽  
Engineered Materials

Material failure may occur in a variety of situations dependent on stress conditions, temperature, and internal or external load conditions. Many of the latest engineered materials combine several material types i.e., metals, carbon, glass, resins, adhesives, heterogeneous and nanomaterials (organic/inorganic) to produce multilayered, multifaceted structures that may fail in ductile, brittle, or both cases. Mechanical testing is a standard and basic component of any design and fabricating process. Mechanical testing also plays a vital role in maintaining cost-effectiveness in innovative advancement and predominance. Destructive tests include tensile testing, chemical analysis, hardness testing, fatigue testing, creep testing, shear testing, impact testing, stress rapture testing, fastener testing, residual stress measurement, and XRD. These tests can damage the molecular arrangement and even the microstructure of engineered materials. Nondestructive testing methods evaluate component/material/object quality without damaging the sample integrity. This review outlines advanced nondestructive techniques and explains predominantly used nondestructive techniques with respect to their applications, limitations, and advantages. The literature was further analyzed regarding experimental developments, data acquisition systems, and technologically upgraded accessory components. Additionally, the various combinations of methods applied for several types of material defects are reported. The ultimate goal of this review paper is to explain advanced nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques/tests, which are comprised of notable research work reporting evolved affordable systems with fast, precise, and repeatable systems with high accuracy for both experimental and data acquisition techniques. Furthermore, these advanced NDT approaches were assessed for their potential implementation at the industrial level for faster, more accurate, and secure operations.

Secondary Impact Protection for Locomotive Engineers – Improved Airbag Design

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Gordon ◽  
Florentina M. Gantoi ◽  
Som P. Singh ◽  
Anand Prabhakaran
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Secondary Impact ◽  
Sled Test ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Occupant Protection ◽  
Injury Index ◽  
Impact Protection ◽  
Passenger Airbag ◽  
Locomotive Engineer ◽  
System 1

Abstract Under the locomotive cab occupant protection research program sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA) developed a Secondary Impact Protection System (SIPS) for locomotive engineers. The system uses a large, automotive-style, passenger airbag in combination with a deformable knee bolster to provide the level of protection needed for the locomotive engineer, without compromising the normal operating environment and egress. A prior version of the system [1] was prototyped and tested in a dynamic sled test with a 23g crash pulse and was shown to meet most limiting human injury criteria defined in the Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 208) [2] for the head, chest, neck, and femur. The system also showed marginal performance for the chest injury index and indicated potential for an improved airbag design to fully meet all requirements. In the current study, simulations with an optimized airbag and higher capacity inflator system showed that SIPS can provide excellent occupant protection for an unbelted locomotive occupant in a frontal crash. Sled testing of SIPS confirmed the performance, and the system successfully met all eleven (11) criteria of the FMVSS 208 standard [2]. The shape and position of the airbag module and its attachments to the desk were generally the same as those presented in previous research. The key changes that helped meet all criteria were the higher capacity inflators, knee bolster system brackets moved forward, thicker knee plate, higher volume airbag and additional vents.

Crashworthiness Performance of Space Frame Aluminum Structure in NCAP’s 35 MPH Full Frontal

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ridha Baccouche ◽  
Hikmat F. Mahmood ◽  
Arkalgud K. Shivakumar ◽  
Saad A. Jawad
Keyword(s):  
Finite Element ◽  
Rigid Body ◽  
Mass Model ◽  
Space Frame ◽  
Nonlinear Beam ◽  
Rigid Body Dynamic ◽  
Sled Test ◽  
Front End ◽  
Vehicle Component ◽  
Energy Absorbing

Abstract The quest for lighter crash energy absorbing automotive structures has increased the use, parallel with other materials, of the 5xxx sheet and 6xxx extruded aluminum structures. These aluminum structures, when properly designed and joined, are able to demonstrate a very high crash energy absorbing capability. This paper summarizes the CAE and development work performed in the design of the front end structure of a four door C-class space frame aluminum vehicle. Component and system CAE modeling of the front end were conducted under NCAP’s 35 mph full frontal impact using rigid body dynamic, nonlinear beam finite element and stability codes. Component loads versus crash distances and system deceleration versus time responses were computed. A 3D spring mass model was built for the front end structure using the rigid body and finite element code MADYMO. Spring characteristics for each component, derived from test data and component CAE models, were input into the MADYMO model. The deceleration-time response generated by the MADYMO model was used as input for the sled testing. The effects of four parameters were studied and discussed in this paper. These parameters are the steering column angle, IP, Pyro Buckle Pretensioner and airbag vent size. Dummy HIC; chest deceleration; neck shear, tension, compression, flexion and extension; femur load, pelvis acceleration and displacement; retractor load; shoulder belt load; lap belt load and other injury numbers, measured from sled test, are summarized and discussed in this paper.

Evaluation of Deformable Barrier Designs and Associated Compatibility Metrics in Full Frontal Impact Testing

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Reagan ◽  
Xioawei Li ◽  
Saeed Barbat
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Research Laboratory ◽  
Time History ◽  
Impact Testing ◽  
Frontal Impact ◽  
Vehicle To Vehicle ◽  
Compression Stiffness ◽  
Structural Architecture ◽  
Transportation Research ◽  
Energy Absorbing

Several modifications to an existing deformable barrier are investigated for their ability to predict the presence of secondary energy absorbing structures (SEAS) using four deformable barrier designs with simulated impact by two vehicles. This study is motivated by the assumption that SEAS may enhance vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility and it is desirable to know if SEAS presence and its benefits are detectable through dynamic barrier testing. The considered barrier types are modifications of the Transportation Research Laboratory (TRL) barrier consisting of two layers, a front and rear. Each layer is 150mm thick with the first (front-most with respect to the vehicle) layer compression stiffness of 0.34 MPa and the second (rear-most) of 1.71 MPa. Proposed modifications to the (original, baseline) barrier are: 1. Increase the stiffness of a localized region of the front layer to 1.71 MPa (between ground heights of 330mm and 580mm). 2. Increase the depth of the second layer to 200 mm. 3. lncrease the depth of the second layer to 300 mm and use a single, non-segmented piece for the entire layer. The resulting four barrier configurations are all assumed to have 125 × 125 mm segmented “cells” supported by load time-history transducers. Computer simulation of impact by four vehicle models differing in mass and structural architecture is used. Four vehicle metrics intended to measure compatibility through impact with deformable barriers are used to quantify each barrier design’s ability to detect SEAS. Using the metrics outlined in this paper, a barrier design with stiffened rows three and four is best suited for SEAS detection. This conclusion is based on its sensitivity to four vehicle designs with and without SEAS as well as consistency of trends.

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