Formation Mechanism of Undulating Wear on Overhead Conductor Rails due to Dynamic Characteristics of Pantographs

Abstract

An increase in undulating wear on overhead conductor rails leads to more frequent arcing through contact loss between the line and the pantograph. Arcs are one of the major sources of extreme conductor rail and contact strip wear. The formation mechanisms of undulating wear however, have not yet been clarified. The authors therefore investigated the sliding surfaces of overhead conductor rails and the dynamic characteristics of pantographs used on commercial lines. Results indicate that the dynamic characteristics of the pantograph and the distance between pantograph heads play a significant role in the appearance of undulating wear. Periodic unevenness is formed by mechanical wear due to the dynamic characteristics of a pantograph; in particular, anti-resonance phenomenon of the pantograph affects this process significantly. Once the undulating wear amplitude grows to the extent that the pantograph cannot keep contact with the conductor rail, arcs due to contact loss frequently occur along the undulating conductor rail causing extreme undulating wear. The wavelength of this extreme undulating wear is related to the interval of the pantograph heads.