Modelling on the synergy of mechanical and electrical wear in a current line/catenary-pantograph system

Abstract

The metro system of electrified rolling stock is an important vehicle for partly solving the metropolitan transportation and carbon emission problems. This study aims to analyse the wear of current collector/catenary-pantograph system in the rolling stock. A theoretical wear rate model between the conductor wire and the current collector of the pantograph system was adopted from the literature and further decomposed into mechanical load, electrical current, current arc erosion, and the synergy components. Based on the decomposed model, an experimental protocol for finding the curve-fitted parameters for the theoretical model was proposed. The numerical data adopted from a previous literature was employed in the decomposed model to discuss the effects of mechanical loading, electrical current, and vehicle speed on the wear rate components. From the decomposed wear rate model, the so-called electrical current lubrication on the total wear rate due to the applied electrical current could be observed directly. Moreover, the nonlinear couplings among the control factors in the operation of the system manifested significantly. Thus, in the design phase the optimization analysis should be performed on the control parameters using the theoretical wear rate model to extend the life and reliability of this catenary-pantograph system.