Analysis of moose motion trajectory after bullet train-moose collisions

Abstract

Collisions between trains and moose that cross a track are common occurrences according to rail accident statistics. A moose lying on a track after a crash may increase the risk of train derailment. In addition, a moose thrown into the air during a collision may also hit and damage the pantograph, which prevents a train from running. This paper developed a finite element (FE) model of moose and is aimed at investigating the train crash safety and moose motion trajectory in train-moose collisions for different moose crossing scenarios using the FE method. Material biomechanics tests were conducted to obtain the mechanical property parameters of moose. Drop hammer impact tests were performed to validate the constitutive models of different moose segments. The whole moose FE model was verified against previous vehicle-moose crash tests. The numerical impact scenes of moose crossing the rail at different collision positions were established in LS-DYNA. The results showed that the impact force depends on the contact area between the train and the moose. A larger contact area corresponded to a larger impact force. The moose would be pushed away by the V-shaped locomotive and would not cause a derailment, and the height of the moose thrown into the air cannot reach the height of the pantograph, which would prevent damage to the pantograph of a bullet train.