Realistic characterization of severe railroad accidents. Case study: tank cars

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:7030579

Anderson, R T

The objective of the paper is not to state that one can accurately define the exact nature of all railroad accidents, nor to state that accident data can easily be translated into regulations and design criteria. History has shown this to be a difficult task for even those who have frequently been involved with railroad accidents. Rather, the intent is to show that upper limits for accident frequencies, physical forces, and fire effects, etc., can be established. These limits can be based on analysis of past accidents and the equipment involved. In simple language, no force is infinite no matter how long the train is and how fast it is going. Similarly, flame temperatures and fire durations are finite. Boundaries can be placed on the loadings imposed on a package. A direct comparison is made with the programs and regulations established by the Federal Railroad Administration and the railroad industry to make tank car movement of hazardous materials safer. These are compared with the regulations and design criteria used for radioactive material packages.

• Research Organization: Allied-General Nuclear Services, Barnwell, S.C. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: ET-78-C-09-1040
• OSTI ID: 7030579
• Report Number(s): AGNS-1040-13; CONF-780506-15
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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