Sensitivity Analysis and Optimisation of Key Parameters for Railway Rigid Overhead System and Pantograph

Abstract

This paper aims to enhance the speed of rigid overhead systems by investigating the impact of important parameters of the overhead system and pantograph on the interaction performance, specifically the contact force between the panhead of the pantograph and the contact wire of the overhead system. To accomplish this, this paper first builds a rigid overhead system model based on the finite element method. The pantograph–contact wire interaction simulation is achieved by including a three-stage lumped mass pantograph model. The Sobol sensitivity analysis method is utilised to determine the contribution of different parameters to the contact force standard deviation. Subsequently, an optimisation approach is used to minimise the contact standard deviation at various speeds by adopting five crucial parameters. The sensitivity analysis of 13 variables indicates that the span length, bending stiffness, and linear density of the conductor rail, and the masses of the pantograph head and upper frame are the most relevant variables for the contact force standard deviation. The quantification of each parameter’s contribution reveals that the increase in bending stiffness generally has a positive effect in reducing the contact force fluctuation, while the decreases in other variables are preferred. The optimisation analysis shows that the optimised contact force standard deviation decreases by 39.18%, 66.77%, and 61.02% at speeds of 90 km/h, 120 km/h, and 150 km/h, respectively, compared to the original values.

Feasibility Study of Traction Power Supply for Medium-Capacity Rail System Based on Rigid Overhead Conductor Rail System: Case Study on Pham Van Dong Route in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

“…It can be manufactured with two heights, normally 110 mm and 80 mm or similar, depending on the existing gauges, and crosssections are 2202 mm 2 and 2223 mm 2 . The structure includes the following components: a conductor rail, conductor inter-locking joints, a union plate, support and clamps, movable arms, a transition element, an electrical connection clamp, anti-creep clamps, earth clamps, a protection cover, a joint and end cap, a cable connection source, and an insulator [22,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. The ROCS converges on all the outstanding advantages of OCS and 3R, eliminating the limitations of both OCS and 3R [22].…”

“…In this study, we will calculate the capacity required for the system to operate in both normal and incident cases. At the same time, we will conduct an in-depth analysis of the power supply options, as well as the traction current distribution structure of the 750 V DC traction system with a third rail system, overhead catenary system (OCS) [25][26][27][28], and ROCS [22,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. In particular, the choice of ROCS in this research is one that we hope will become common in the near future because of its outstanding advantages.…”

Contact Force Surrogate Model and Its Application in Pantograph–Catenary Parameter Optimization

“…To reduce the computational complexity and improve optimization efficiency in parameter optimization, it is effective to conduct a sensitivity analysis of the SDCF with respect to pantograph-catenary parameters first. For example, the first-order sensitivities of nine pantograph parameters for a GPU pantograph and a simple suspension catenary at 100~400 km/h [7], and a DSA380 pantograph and a stitched suspension catenary at 350 km/h [8]; the first-order sensitivities of four catenary parameters and nine pantograph parameters for a simple suspension catenary at 90~150 km/h [9]; the first-and second-order sensitivities of four catenary parameters for a CX-type pantograph and a simple suspension catenary at 300 km/h [10]. Existing reports indicate that the sensitivity to the equivalent mass of the panhead vertical vibration is the highest among the pantograph parameters, while other parameters show significant differences in sensitivity rating.…”