Experimental study on ageing characteristics of electric locomotive ethylene propylene rubber cable under mechanical–thermal combined action

Abstract

The train-mounted ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) cables of electric locomotive are partly restricted by the body structure and spatial layout and are in a combined environment of strong mechanical bending and thermal ageing. The degradation characteristics of the insulation layer have not yet received sufficient attention. In order to study the ageing characteristics of EPR cables of electric locomotive under the combined action of machine and thermal, this paper designs a bending–thermal combined ageing test platform for cables with a temperature of 135°C, bending diameter of 393.52 mm, 590.28 mm and unbending cables, and tests after ageing. The product has been tested by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, elongation at break and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. The research results show that the bending outer part of the train-mounted EPR cable is a pain point. Under the combined action of bending and thermal, whether it is microstructure or macro performance, the degradation rate and degree of the bending of outer insulation layer are greater than the value under a single thermal ageing condition. Mechanical bending has an accelerating effect on the ageing of the EPR insulation layer. The research results can provide a reference for the ageing characteristics of the train-mounted EPR cable under the bending–thermal synergy and the evaluation of operating state of the train-mounted EPR cable under bending–thermal operating conditions.