Application of multi-body dynamics to derailment safety

Derailment of railway vehicles is a rare but potentially dangerous event. New designs of vehicles must be carefully verified to ensure safety from derailment, and when existing vehicles derail full and careful investigation is required. This paper describes the use of the VAMPIRE(R) multi-body railway vehicle dynamics simulation package in the design and investigation process. Verification tests for derailment predictions are described, and case studies of actual derailment incidents are given.