AUTOMATIC MEASURING SYSTEM FOR PANTOGRAPHS AND WHEELS OF THE SHINKANSEN ELECTRIC CARS

Since 1974 JNR Railway Technical Research Institute has been developing an automatic system for measuring critical dimensions of pantographs and wheels of the high-speed Shinkansen electric cars as they run through a monitoring station at repair shops. Measured by the prototype device are pantograph wear and upward pressure, wheel tread and flange wear, wheel diameter and back-to-back gauge, and abnormal wheel vibrations. Reliability and data processing of results are being studied.