Challenge:
European railcar manufacturer Stadler Rail needed to ensure the crashworthiness of a new bi-level passenger car (KISS) and the performance of its crash module.
Solution:
Realistic simulation with Abaqus FEA from SIMULIA enabled Stadler to analyze railcar performance under head-on crash loads.
Benefits:
Using Abaqus enabled Stadler to confirm that the KISS railcar design successfully fulfilled all requirements of the European standards while optimizing weight and reducing product development times.
In the early 20th century, a strange spectator sport flourished in America: train crashing. They were so popular that one man, Joe “Head-on” Connolly, staged 73 crashes (destroying 146 trains) between 1896 and 1932 at state fairs and other large venues.
Those days are long gone. Engineers (the design kind, not the train-drivers) who want to observe a crash can run perfectly safe, highly accurate virtual collisions on a computer screen.
While designing a new rail car, the engineers have a significant need for simulation in order to best address safety questions. In the event of a crash will the welds hold, particularly if the train is in its later years of service? Will the passenger portion of the coach retain its shape? Also important: Will the internal components and assemblies of the passenger area remain in place and be relatively undeformed?
Stadler Rail, headquartered in Bussnang, Switzerland, has been answering these questions (with and without simulation) for over 70 years. In the process, they’ve designed and built tailor-made trains, regional, tram, meter-gauge and even bi-level trains. In recent years, they put that expertise to work designing a double-decker commuter train, the KISS (KISS is a German acronym that means “comfortable innovative speedy suburban train”). The train runs at speeds up to 200 km/hr. (124+ mph) and is a workhorse for train lines in Switzerland and Austria.
Watch this interview with Alois Starlinger,
What to learn more?
Discover how Stadler Rail uses Abaqus software to improve crashworthiness.
