Statistical identification of geometric parameters for high speed train catenary

Pantograph/catenary interaction is known to be strongly dependent on the static geometry of the catenary, this research thus seeks to build a statistical model of this geometry. Sensitivity analyses provide a selection of relevant parameters affecting the geometry. After correction for the dynamic nature of the measurement, provide a database of measurements. One then seeks to solve the statistical inverse problem using the maximum entropy principle and the maximum likelihood method. Two methods of multivariate density estimations are presented, the Gaussian kernel density estimation method and the Gaussian parametric method. The results provide statistical information on the significant parameters and show that the messenger wire tension of the catenary hides sources of variability that are not yet taken into account in the model

Fatigue analysis of catenary contact wires for high speed trains

The fatigue fracture is one of the most critical failures which may occur on the high speed network because it is undetectable and it has a huge impact on traffic disruption. The contact wire lifespan of a high speed line is estimated at more than 50 years and thus it is necessary to consider the risk of fatigue. The Railway Technical Research Institute in Japan studied this phenomenon for a long time and performed experimental tests. Using these results and by comparing with failures occurred in France, a preliminary analysis is carried out to identify parameters which significantly influence the fatigue phenomenon. This analysis consists in using the numerical software OSCAR© to evaluate the loads, perform a fatigue assessment of the contact wire. The procedure, using a one-dimensional and a three-dimensional model, is described in this article

Introduction of variability in pantograph-catenary dynamic simulations

Currently, pantograph-catenary dynamic simulations codes are mainly based on deterministic approaches. However, the contact force between catenary and pantograph depends on many key parameters that are not always quantified precisely. To get a better chance of addressing extreme or combinations of critical conditions, methodologies to consider variability are thus necessary. Aerodynamic forces and geometrical irregularities of catenaries are thought to be significant sources of variability in measurement and this paper proposes methods to take them into account. Results are compared with measurements to see the importance of the considered parameters with respect to global variability observed in measurements

Fatigue analysis of catenary contact wires for high speed trains

The fatigue fracture is one of the most critical failures which may occur on the high speed network because it is undetectable and it has a huge impact on traffic disruption. The contact wire lifespan of a high speed line is estimated at more than 50 years and thus it is necessary to consider the risk of fatigue. The Railway Technical Research Institute in Japan studied this phenomenon for a long time and performed experimental tests. Using these results and by comparing with failures occurred in France, a preliminary analysis is carried out to identify parameters which significantly influence the fatigue phenomenon. This analysis consists in using the numerical software OSCAR© to evaluate the loads, perform a fatigue assessment of the contact wire. The procedure, using a one-dimensional and a three-dimensional model, is described in this article

Use of FEM models to study fatigue of overhead contact wires

Fatigue cracks can induce fracture of the catenary Contact Wire (CW) and thus huge costs for the operator. Nowadays the wear criterion to replace the CW leads to lifespan over than 50 years, and the catenary can see a very high number of cycles so that fatigue life must be taken into account. A full process to compute the multiaxial transient stress field in the CW has been developed. A fatigue criticality indicator to assess the risk of crack initiation was introduced. This elaborate indicator is used to validate a simplified fatigue indicator based on the uniaxial Euler-Bernoulli beam stresses that are much faster to compute. This indicator is then used to assess parameters influencing the risk of fatigue in the case of junction claws

Waves, modes and properties with a major impact on dynamic pantograph-catenary interaction

Understanding the dynamic behavior of the pantograph-catenary system is crucial for design improvement, but many factors inuence the contact force, which is the main design objective. To give a proper un-derstanding of dynamic characteristics, the paper uses a combination of mass drop tests on a catenary, analytic models and parametric _nite element model simulations allowing a ne analysis of the inuence of train speed. The _rst contributor to contact force variations is the geometry of the catenary under gravity loading. This parameter is however shown to be insu_cient to explain higher frequency e_ects. The second contributor is the propagation of waves in the contact and messenger wires. The inuence of wave dis-persion is _rst demonstrated, which emphasizes the importance of considering the bending sti_ness. Wave compensation by droppers and reections at the mast are then shown to be important. Characteristic times associated with wave group velocities are _nally used to explain the series of harmonic contributions visible in spectra in the catenary and pantograph frames. Finally, modes are shown to play a role particularly when their frequencies coincide with other contributions. The notion of mode groups, associated wave velocities and relevant design variables are discussed. Several observations pave the way for future work on catenary design

Pantograph catenary dynamic optimisation based on advanced multibody and finite element co-simulation tools

This paper presents recent developments undertaken by SNCF Innovation & Research Department on numerical modelling of pantograph catenary interaction. It aims at describing an efficient co-simulation process between Finite Element (FE) and Multibody (MB) modelling methods. FE catenary models are coupled with a full flexible MB representation with pneumatic actuation of pantograph. These advanced functionalities allow new kind of numerical analyses such as dynamic improvements based on innovative pneumatic suspensions or assessment of crash risks crossing areas that demonstrate the powerful capabilities of this computing approach

Introduction of variability into pantograph–catenary dynamic simulations

Currently, pantograph-catenary dynamic simulations are mainly based on deterministic approaches. However, the contact force between catenary and pantograph depends on many key parameters that are not always quantified precisely and can vary in time and space. To get a better chance of addressing extreme or combined critical conditions, methodologies to consider variability are thus necessary. Aerodynamic forces and geometrical irregularities of catenaries are thought to be significant sources of variability in measurement and this paper proposes methods to take them into account. Results are compared with measurements to correlate the effect of the considered parameters with experimentally observed variability. Finally, a virtual certification example is shown, with a study of the influence of speed on the impact of variability.SNC

Pantograph catenary dynamic optimisation based on advanced multibody and finite element co-simulation tools

This paper presents recent developments undertaken by the SNCF Innovation & Research Department on numerical modelling of pantograph catenary interaction. It aims at describing an efficient co-simulation process between finite element (FE) and multibody (MB) modelling methods. The FE catenary models from the SNCF software are coupled with a full flexible MB representation with pneumatic actuation of pantograph. These advanced functionalities allow new kind of numerical analysis such as dynamic improvements based on a passive pneumatic suspension or assessment of crash risks in crossing areas, that demonstrate the powerful capabilities of this computing approach