Critical Speed Impact over the Pantograph-Catenary System’s Behaviour

Objectives: To estimate the impact of the critical speed over the power collecting system for the electric trains. Methods/ Analysis: Two models regarding the critical speed estimation related to the resonance phenomenon in the pantograph- catenary system are studied: firstly, by the differential equation of the contact point trajectory, and secondly by the maximum kinetic energy and the maximum potential energy over a span. Simulations for the pantograph-catenary interaction at train speeds close to the critical ones are done. Tests for different speeds were realised on an experimental stand. Findings: Records of the pantograph-catenary system’s behavior show the influence of the critical speeds over the power collecting system and knowing the critical speeds on different trucks, it can be established the maximum speeds for the railway vehicles. It is to observe that the critical speed depends strongly on the mechanical tensions in the contact line and on the linear mass of the contact line. Applications/Improvements: Two relationships were established for the critical speed, one considering mechanical tension into the wire and another considering the length span. A test bench was developed for the pantograph-catenary researches.