Influence of the Arc between the Contact Wire and the Pantograph on the Material of the Contact Strip

Abstract

To investigate the trolley breaking phenomena by the arc between the trolley and the pantograph, the phenomena have been replicated through the experiments. The element analysis of the contact strip is performed in detail and the influence of the arc on the contact strip elements and hardness of the material is investigated. As one of the hypotheses, it is expected that the decrease of the metal elements in the contact strip caused by the heat from the arc results in the decrease of the hardness of the material and finally leads to the local abrasion of the contact strip. It is confirmed through the electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), in this paper, that the copper element decrease near the arc spot. The decrease of the material hardness is also confirmed through the micro Vickers hardness analysis.