Full-Scale Rollover Test and Corresponding Analytical Modeling \u2013 Survivability of Top Fittings for CPC-1232 Tank Car

2020Technical Report, 2015-2018Gonzalez, FranciscoPDFTech ReportDOT/FRA/ORD-20/22Prototype testsFittingsProtectionRollover crashesTank carsSafetyFull-scale testingtank car safetyCPC-1232 carUnited StatesUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad AdministrationTrent, RobertPrabhakaran, AnandGantoi, FlorentinaSharma, VinayaSharma & Associates, Inc.United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Railroad Policy and DevelopmentUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research, Development and TechnologyFederal Railroad AdministrationA full-scale rollover test was performed on a CPC-1232 tank car body to determine the survivability of the top fittings and provide a comparison to past tank car-type rollover tests. Dynamic simulations were performed prior to the test to determine appropriate test conditions and parameters. Pivoting the carbody in a fixture about a fixed axis controlled the test conditions. The test was designed so that the manway bonnet, the highest profile top fitting, impacted a concrete target pad at 7.8 mph. As a result of the impact, the manway bonnet sheared off at its fasteners, several fasteners securing the pressure plate cover failed, and the unloading/loading valves sheared off. This resulted in a lading release. Post-test, the analytical simulation was correlated against the test results. Researchers recommend that methods to avoid the \u201cunzipping\u201d failures of bolted connections be considered for future designs. Alternatively, the observed failure mechanism may be incorporated into the design/specification process.93