Effective Measures to Improve Current Collection Quality for Double Pantographs and Catenary Based on Wave Propagation Analysis

Abstract

The pantograph installed on the train roof is responsible for collecting the electrical energy via the sliding contact with the catenary constructed along the railroad. To enhance the carrying capacity of the high-speed train, multiple pantographs are normally mounted on the EMU (Electrical Multiple Unit train) to interact simultaneously with the catenary. Especially in China, the double pantographs-catenary interaction is gradually becoming the mainstream in the newly built highspeed network. The biggest challenge of double-pantograph operation is the deterioration of the current collection quality of the trailing pantograph. The mechanical wave excited by the leading pantograph propagates along the contact wire and disturbs the trailing pantograph. This paper attempts to propose effective measures to improve the current collection quality of the trailing pantograph. To improve the understanding of the wave propagation in the contact wire excited by two pantographs, the double pantographs-catenary model is established using a FEM (Finite Element Method) approach. Through the analysis of the contact wire uplift response excited by a single moving force, the optimal interval of double pantographs is discussed. The results indicate that the bad interval appears at the velocity peak of the contact wire uplift, whereas, the good interval appears at the valley value of the contact wire uplift velocity. Based on this idea, the formula of optimal interval of double pantographs is proposed, and its validity is verified using the parameters of the European and China high-speed networks. Then the damper is introduced to the steady arm to reduce the wave intensity. The simulation results show that the slight steady arm damping has a positive effect on the performance of the double pantographs-catenary interaction.

A Comparative Study on the Wind Deflection of Railway Overhead Contact Line Based on Empirical Formula and Finite Element Approach

“…After determining an appropriate spatial grid, the global power spectral density matrix S V (ω) can be obtained by assembling equations (19) and (20). e spatial grid depicted in Figure 4 is adopted.…”

“…Many numerical models of the OCL have been developed to reproduce the realistic behaviour [13][14][15] and explore the implications of design parameters on the dynamic performance [16][17][18]. Based on these simulation tools, several optimisation strategies are proposed to reduce the elasticity unevenness of OCL [19], decrease the wave propagation interference [20], and avoid the resonance with pantographs [21].…”

Assessment of the High-Frequency Response in Railway Pantograph-Catenary Interaction Based on Numerical Simulation

“…To improve the simulation efficiency, some simplifications are made based on the idea of moving mesh [20], [21] and linearisation [22] without affecting the simulation accuracy. Base on numerical models, the influence of some critical parameters, such as the tension [23], pantograph interval [24], and catenary geometry [25] on the interaction performance are analysed. The frequency of interest for the evaluated contact forces obtained by numerical simulations is normally limited to 0-20 Hz.…”

Development of steady arm damper for electrified railway overhead contact line with double pantographs based on numerical and experimental analysis

“…Similar work was also conducted in [27], in which the formula for optimal pantograph interval was proposed based on the catenary mode shape. In [28], a more appropriate formula for double pantographs' interval was developed considering the variation of the catenary mode with different speeds. It can be seen that the previous research studies mainly focused on the optimisation of double pantograph interval with a certain catenary geometry and a given speed.…”