A multibody non-linear model of the post-derailment dynamics of a railway vehicle

• Published in: Vehicle system dynamics Vol. 62; no. 7; pp. 1848 - 1875
• Main Authors: Santelia, Matteo, Mazzeo, Francesco, Di Gialleonardo, Egidio, Melzi, Stefano, Bruni, Stefano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 02.07.2024; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Bending moments; Derailment; derailment containment structure; Derailments; Finite element method; Impact loads; Multibody systems; post-derailment dynamics
• ISSN: 0042-3114; 1744-5159
• DOI: 10.1080/00423114.2023.2268225

This paper presents a multibody model of the post-derailment dynamics of a railway vehicle and its impact with a derailment containment wall (DCW) built aside the line and demonstrates the use of the model in the context of the structural sizing of devices intended to mitigate derailment effects. With respect to existing multibody models of railway vehicle dynamics, the innovative features of this model are a new contact model capable to provide a plausible prediction of the derailment process despite a simple and computationally efficient formulation, and the model of the interaction between the derailed vehicle and the impacted derailment containment structure, the latter being described by a Finite Element Model. Results from the model are compared to an established multibody software for a non-derailment case, and then a comparison is performed with a measurement from a derailment experiment published in the scientific literature, finding in both cases satisfactory agreement. The model is then applied to analyse a derailment scenario caused by the sudden failure of an axle for a locomotive vehicle travelling at 300 km/h in a HS curve, deriving the peak values of the impact force and bending moment at the base of the derailment containment wall.