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Development of elements for absorption of collision energy of railway vehicles represent an important segment in the design of new and restoration of existing railway passenger coaches. Absorption elements are part of passive protection measures used railway vehicles. Passive protection role is achieved when crash repercussions during impact are minimized. In this article, the analysis of the characteristics of modified tube absorbers for kinetic collision energy of passenger coaches is performed. The research focuses on quasi‐static tests and dynamic tests. The presented solution is based on the use of steel tube elements that absorb a certain amount of collision energy of passenger coaches by controlled plastic deformation. The modified tube absorber is installed in a row with a standard buffer for passenger coaches. Given the results obtained, a final evaluation of this type of absorber is done. In addition, proposal for further research is offered with the goal to increase the safety level in railway traffic.

This paper describes validation process of numerical model of combined collision kinetic energy absorber of rail vehicles based on results of experimental investigations. Combined absorber works on the principle of extrusionsplitting the seamless tube. With the aim to choose the most appropriate tube geometry, the tubes of the different geometry of cross section were made and tested. Key geometry parts have the shape and length of the grooves along the inner tube wall. During the second phase of deformation comes to controlled splitting of the tube wall along these grooves. Experimental and numerical investigations were realized on the scaled samples. Using this type of absorber energy absorption occurs by friction between absorption elements and elastic-plastic deformation of the tube.Combining of two deformation processes gives a higher absorption power as well as compact dimensions of absorber which can be installed in a very limited space in the front part of the vehicle structure. Creating of the numerical model and numerical simulations of extrusion-splitting processes were realized using SolidWorks and ANSYS LS Dyna software packages. Results of experimental investigations and numerical simulations show very good agreement which verifies developed numerical model for use in further investigations in this field.