Abstract
This article presents the results of a research on the operational damage to sectional insulator guides made of hard electrolytic copper Cu-ETP (Electrolytic Tough Pitch Copper). The guides were used on various rail routes, in real conditions, on which the trains ran at maximum speeds between 40 and 120 km/h for periods of 6 or 12 months. The microstructure of the surface, the working layer of the guide, which contacts the graphite plate of the current collector and the cross-section of the guide in the place where it was damaged was examined using the Olympus light microscope. The analysis of the chemical composition in the EDS micro-regions was performed using the Zeiss Supra 53 scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the qualitative X-ray phase analysis was performed with the use of the Panalytical X'Pert diffractometer. Scratches and deformations of the surface layer characteristic of the phenomenon of friction caused by the current collector were observed in the microstructure of the damaged parts of the guides of section insulators. The effect of a very intense oxidation process was also observed, as well as the effects of an electric arc, which according to the author, is the factor that has the most destructive effect on the condition of the guides.
Highlights
The guide is made of Cu-ETP copper (CW004A) and is part of the railway traction section insulator
The guides of section insulators are made of Cu-ETP copper, and during operation, they wear out because of several mechanisms
The increase in temperature in the centre of an electric arc, which according to the literature data, can reach even 20,000°C [5, 22], is the factor responsible for the greatest damage to the guide
Summary
The guide is made of Cu-ETP copper (CW004A) and is part of the railway traction section insulator. Section insulators are the elements of the railway traction, which supply electricity to electric locomotives. The contact of the current collector – damages the guide as a result of tribological mechanisms (abrasion, abrasive wear of the working surface). The excited fine particles settle on the traction lines or get between the working surfaces of the current collector and the guide and act as an additional abrasive medium. The difference in the potentials of the two adjacent railway traction sections causes an electric arc to be generated during the jump of the pantograph from one guide rail to another [3]. Small local discharges are generated, resulting in small craters burned in the guide. This publication presents damage to the guides of section insulators which is the result of their operation in real conditions
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