Month: November 2019

Pantograph & catenary interaction: wave reflection at the end spans of a mechanical section and pantographs contact quality.

The contact force between pantograph and catenary is the most important parameter that should be considered and monitored. Contact force fluctuation is the opposite of contact quality. The more standard deviation in contact force you have, the less contact quality you have. The reason for contact force variation is either non-uniform vertical elasticity of catenary…
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Transportation sector, the pioneer in predictive maintenance 4.0

While the penetration ratio of “predictive maintenance concept” is more than 80% in industries, the statistics released by General Electric shows that the transportation sector has already stepped in this way. In this sector, there are signs of faster progress, and they have already brought the first examples into practice. The same investigation compares the…
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Which one is more critical? tension loss in contact wire or messenger (catenary) cable

The electrification of a fleet involves either a third rail or an overhead catenary system typically. Achieving appropriate current collection in a high-speed train needs the contact wire geometry within defined limits. This aim is usually achieved by supporting the contact wire from a second wire known as the messenger wire (in the US & Canada) or catenary (in…
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“value-chain-wide” digitization of rolling-stock and railway infrastructures: prerequisite, prosperity and challenges

Railway transportation systems, including rolling stocks and infrastructures, are capital intensive. Accordingly, they are counted as long-term investments. Increasing the competition among manufacturers and operators has resulted in shifting toward advanced services, higher reliability, and reducing the cost of operation. Shrinking the maintenance cost is an appropriate option to minimize the total cost of the…
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Amazing nonlinear behaviour of droppers in the catenary system

Estimated time for reading: 8 min Overhead Catenary Systems (OCS) are the most common practice for supplying electricity to electric trains. Provision of continues connection between pantograph and contact wire with the added necessity for low electrical wear and mechanical wear of collector strip is amongst the main challenges for engineers and researchers alike regarding…
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