Development of a New High-Performance Overhead Conductor Rail Using Simulation Models , and their Validation through Field Testing

Overhead rail current collector systems for railway traction are primarily used in underground networks and other railway installations where tunnels are present due to their advantages, such as low installation heights and reduced maintenance. A new design for an improved overhead conductor rail has been developed in cooperation with Metro de Madrid and has been presented in [6]. Modern simulation and modelling techniques were used in the design process that was based on the results obtained in a sensitivity study realized with combined pantograph – conductor rail simulation models. Highly detailed, three-dimensional finite-element and multi-body-system models were used in simulation and reflected well the real system. The newly developed overhead conductor rail allows higher running speeds for new vehicles or an increase in support spacing reducing installation costs. Due to the excellent results that the new overhead conductor rail has given in simulation and prototype testing on real lines, its design has been patented (European patent no EP 1484214) [10]. In order to validate the simulation models, measuring techniques have been applied to both a pantograph and a section of the new conductor rail. The measuring pantograph assesses the contact force that appears between pantograph and catenary, quantifies other important information, such as the vertical and lateral position of the conductor rail’s contact wire, and records electric arcing. The experimental data obtained in field testing has been compared to the corresponding results given in simulation, and the model has been validated properly. The measurement results have also confirmed the superior dynamic behaviour of the new overhead conductor rail as was predicted by simulation.