This article presents the results of studies on the impact of the percentage of copper in the carbon composite of the railway pantograph contact strips on the maximum temperatures of the contact wire of the overhead contact line. The tests were carried out in accordance with the requirements of standards [7, 9] and TSI [4]. The obtained relationship allows for an initial assessment of the introduced materials due to the contact wire heating criterion based on the copper content of the carbon composite, which greatly facilitates the design process and the initial assessment of the pantograph slides performance. This publication also indicates the minimum value of the percentage of copper at which the standard requirements [7] for railroad wire heating are still met.

The article presents an analysis of the possibility of using a smartphone for sound recording and analysis in relation to reference measurements carried out with laboratory equipment. The scope of the possibility of using recordings by non-calibrated noise measurement (smartphones) was presented, along with limitations and additional requirements that must be met so that such a measurement could be used for further analysis.

This article presents the methodology, description, and results of experimental studies aimed at determining the impact of the copper concentration in a carbon–metal composite contact strip on the maximum temperature of the copper contact wire during a contact event when used for operation in the railway industry in Europe. Based on these tests, we determined the minimum percentage of copper that is required for the composite to meet the normative requirements for current loads. In addition to experimental research, a 3D FEM numerical model was also developed in which the contact strip and contact wire geometry were mapped, along with imposed loads resulting from the test for current loads mentioned above. Fifteen simulation variants were carried out for the established model, where the value of the thermal conductivity coefficient and the specific heat coefficient were varied. On this basis, we analyzed the sensitivity of thermal coefficients to the contact wire temperature and determined the minimum conductivity coefficient value, which allowed the maximum copper contact wire temperature of 120 °C to be obtained during the verification tests.

W artykule przedstawiono wyniki prac Katedry Transportu Szynowego w zakresie badań doświadczalnych w tym eksploatacyjnych i stanowiskowych oraz badań numerycznych elementów układu koło kolejowe – szyna oraz koło – klocek hamulcowy (KSK) czyli elementów, które mają szczególnie istotne znaczenie dla bezpieczeństwa w transporcie szynowym. Ze względu na znaczną ilość badań związanych z układem KSK artykuł ten poświęcono głównie zjawiskom naprężeń resztkowych wynikających z intensywnego hamowania i nagrzewania powodującego przekroczenie granicy plastyczności materiału koła kolejowego.