Influencing factors investigation of passenger head injury in subway collisions

TL;DR

This study investigates factors affecting passenger head injuries in subway collisions through numerical simulations, analyzing how design elements and passenger postures influence injury risk, providing insights for safety improvements.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic numerical approach to evaluate head injury risks for standing passengers considering various design and posture factors in subway safety.

Findings

Horizontal handrails offer better head injury protection.

Friction coefficients and standing angles significantly affect injury risk.

Handrail height influences passenger head injury outcomes.

Abstract

With the development of the subway and the pressing demand of environmentally friendly transportation, more and more people travel by subway. In recent decades, the issues about passenger passive safety on the train have received extensive attention. In this research, the head injury of a standing passenger in the subway is investigated. Three MADYMO models of the different standing passenger postures, defined as baseline scenarios, are numerically set up. HIC15 values of passengers with different postures are gained by systematic parametric studies. The injury numerical simulation results of various scenarios with different friction coefficients, collision acceleration, standing angle, horizontal handrail height, and ring handrail height are analyzed. Results show that the horizontal handrail provides better protection in the three different standing passenger postures. Different friction coefficients and the standing angle have great impact on the head injuries of passengers in three different scenarios. The handrail height also has some effects on head injury of passengers with different standing postures, so it is necessary to be considered when designing the interior layout of the subway. This study may provide guidance for the safety design of the subway and some advices for standing subway passengers.