Study of the post-derailment safety measures on low-speed derailment tests

Prevention of train from derailment is the most important issue for the railway system. Keeping derailed vehicle close to the track centreline is beneficial to minimise the severe consequences associated with derailments. In this paper, the post-derailment safety measures are studied based on low-speed derailment tests. Post-derailment devices can prevent deviation of the train from the rail by catching the rail, and they are mounted under the axle box. Considering the different structures of vehicles, both trailer and motor vehicles are equipped with the safety device and then separately used in low-speed derailment tests. In derailment tests, two kinds of track, namely the CRTS-I slab ballastless track and the CRTS-II bi-block sleeper ballastless track, are adopted to investigate the effect of the track types on the derailment. In addition, the derailment speed and the weight of the derailed vehicle are also taken into account in derailment tests. The test results indicate that the post-derailment movement of the vehicle includes running and bounce. Reducing the derailment speed and increasing the weight of the head of the train are helpful to reduce the possibility for derailments. For the CRTS-I slab ballastless track, the safety device can prevent trailer vehicles from deviating from the track centreline. The gearbox plays an important role in controlling the lateral displacement of motor vehicle after a derailment while the safety device contributes less to keep derailed motor vehicles on the track centreline. The lateral distance between the safety device and rails should be larger than 181.5mm for protecting the fasteners system. And for the CRTS-II bi-block sleeper ballastless track, it helps to decrease the post-derailment distance due to the longitudinal impacts with sleepers. It can also restrict the lateral movement of derailed vehicle due to the high shoulders. The results suggest that, CRTS-II bi-block sleeper ballastless track should be widely used in derailment prone areas.