Investigation of Honeycomb Core-Filled Five-Stage Tubes as Anti-Climbing Energy Absorbers for Rail Vehicle Safety Under Axial and Oblique Loading

The passive safety performance of trains is important. To ensure passenger safety and avoid vehicle climbing and excessive deformation in a collision, anti-climbing energy absorption devices can be installed at the end of each vehicle. In this study, two new types of anti-climbing energy absorption structures—a five-section frame filled with a PU foam core (FSF-F) and a five-section frame filled with a honeycomb aluminum core (FSF-H)—were prepared. The mechanical properties of the FSF-F and FSF-H structures were compared using a dynamic loading test and a simulation. The results showed that the energy absorption performance of the FSF-H was better than that of the FSF-F. Combined with the actual working conditions of a train, the mechanical properties of FSF-H under an offset load were further studied. The results show that it has good energy absorption performance under an offset impact and can be used as an energy absorption device at the end of the train carriage.