Category: Technical Information

Can you feel a Pantograph? No, but elephants can!

Pantographs and Elephants are both interested in “Infrasounds”​, 0.5-20 Hz. Elephants can communicate using very low-frequency sounds, with pitches below the range of human hearing. These low-frequency sounds, termed “infrasounds,” can travel several kilometres, and provide elephants with a “private” communication channel that plays an important role in elephants’ complex social life. Their frequencies are…
Read more

When a solution makes a new problem! Thermal ice melting of the contact wire locks the tension wheels in the tunnels and causes high tension.

Most of the overhead catenary systems are suffering from icing in winter. De-icing technology can be divided into three categories, which are thermal melting ice, mechanical icebreaking, natural passive methods. Vibropantographs or secondary “ice cutter” pantographs are some examples of mechanical icebreaking. You can read more in this article. The main week point of mechanical ice…
Read more

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…
Read more

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…
Read more