Applied Structural Simulation in Railcar Design
Authors: Hettiger Christof 
Published: July 2017

Fifty years ago, the railcar industry relied entirely on classical analysis methods using fundamental solid mechanics theory to establish design and manufacturing protocols. While this method produced working designs, the assumptions required by this type of analysis often led to overdesigned railcars.

In the 1950s, the generalized mathematical approach of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was developed to model the structural behaviors of mechanical systems. FEA involves creating a numerical model by discretizing a continuous system into a finite system of grid divisions. Each grid division, or element, has an inherent geometric shape and each element is comprised of points which are referred to as nodes. The connected pattern of nodes and elements is called a mesh. A solver organizes the mesh into a matrix of differential equations and computes the displacements using linear algebraic operations from which strains and stresses are obtained.

The rapid development of computing technology provided the catalyst to drive FEA from research into industry. FEA is currently the standard approach for improving product design cycle times that were previously achieved by trial and error. Moreover, simulation has improved design efficiency allowing for greater advances in weight, strength, and material optimization. While FEA had its roots planted in the aerospace industry, competitive market conditions have driven simulation into many other professional fields of engineering.

For the last few decades, FEA has become essential to the submittal of new railcar designs for unrestricted interchange service across North America. All new railcar designs must be compliant to a list of structural requirements mandated by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), which are listed in its MSRP (Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices) in addition to recommended practices in Finite Element (FE) modeling procedures. The MSRP recognizes that these guidelines are not always feasible to completely simulate, allowing the analyst to justify situations where deviations are necessary.

Benefits notwithstanding, FEA has inherent challenges. It is understood that FEA does not provide exact solutions, only approximations. While FEA can provide meaningful insight into actual physical behavior leading to shorter development times and lower costs, it can also create bogus solutions that lead to potential safety and engineering risks. Regardless of how appropriate the FEA assumptions may be, engineering judgment is required to interpret the accuracy and significance of the results. A constant balance is made between model fidelity and computational solve time.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the FEA approach to railcar analysis that is used by BNSF Logistics, LLC (BNSFL) in creating AAR compliant railcar designs. Additionally, this paper will discuss the challenges inherent to FEA using experiences from actual case studies in the railcar industry. These challenges originate from assumptions that are made for the analysis including element types, part connections, and constraint locations for the model. All FEA terminology discussed in this paper is written from the perspective of an ANSYS Mechanical user. Closing remarks will be given about where current advances in FEA technology may be able to further improve railcar industry standards.