Dynamic behavior of contact lines for railways with laboratorial model setup according to Norwegian conditions

Abstract

Some domestic flight routes in Norway rank among the busiest in Europe. Experience has shown that, in countries such as France and Germany, high velocity trains can be preferable to flying, given that the distance is not too great (usually under 1000km). The domestic flight routes mentioned are all under that limit and therefore, there is great interest for increasing velocities of trains travelling in Norway. The biggest barrier for this purpose is the dynamic behaviour of the catenary--pantograph system, which is the system supplying power to the train. This thesis covers the modelling of that system, experimentally and numerically.The catenary--pantograph system mainly consists of a messenger wire, contact wire and a pantograph. Electrical power is transmitted from the contact wire through the pantograph to the train's engine. Consistent contact between the pantograph's head and contact wire is vital for the train to operate at high velocities. Too much or too little contact leads to increased wear in the system. In order to examine the performance of the system, the contact force is defined, i.e. the force at the point of contact. This force is one of the most important property of the system and the aim of this thesis is to find out which of the system's parameters affect it. These parameters are related to the overhead wires and the pantograph. Many researches and studies have focused on the pantograph and it is a well defined part of the system, however the overhead lines are less known and will therefore be the main focus of this thesis.