The Development of a Rail Passenger Coach Car Crush Zone

This paper presents information on the design of a rail vehicle crush zone for better occupant protection. The overall design requirements and characteristics are described and the configuration for the various structural subsystems is presented. The paper also includes information on full-scale component tests carried out to support the development of the design, particularly for the primary energy absorbers. Comparisons between test and finite element analysis are presented and there is a discussion of how the test results have affected the design.