Crashworthiness of passenger rail vehicles: a review

Abstract

Abstract In this article, based on a broad review of the literature, a comprehensive overview of the global state of the art in the development of rail vehicle crashworthiness is presented. Following large number of studies on rail vehicles, this article presents a review of the crashworthiness of passenger rail vehicles from the aspects of research approaches, accident investigations, mechanism analysis of occupant injuries and train damage, strategies of occupant protection, and crashworthiness design (crash energy management design) and performance of rail vehicles in collisions. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations for future research are presented.