A heuristic wear model for the contact strip and contact wire in pantograph – Catenary interaction for railway operations under 15 kV 16.67 Hz AC systems

The sliding contact between the pantograph and catenary allows the correct operation of electric trains. However, this contact induces wear on both the components involved in the process, namely the contact strip on the pantograph and the contact wire on the catenary. The influence of operating parameter values (i.e., the fed current intensity, uplift force and train speed) has recently gained attention, with the aim of creating wear models for both parts involved in the contact. In this study, a procedure assessed in the literature is adapted to operating conditions with AC catenary systems at 15kV/16.67 Hz and Cu-impregnated carbon contact strips. The resulting models are suitable for the wear prediction of both the contact wire and the contact strip.