Gain Critical Insight into Pantograph Wear & Performance

The MTS Pantograph Wear & Performance System enables accurate replication of the highly dynamic environment between contact bar and trolley wire in a controlled, repeatable laboratory setting. Train velocity is simulated by mounting the trolley wire around the bottom edge of a 4m-diameter disc that spins at up to 550 kph. The disc can be programmed to simulate variable speeds and play out real train speed time histories. To simulate the vertical dynamics of the trolley wire, the disc is mounted on motion carriage that can replay vertical displacement time histories or simulate stiffness. The carriage also moves in a zigzag motion to replicate the real-world motion of the trolley wire over the contact bar. The pantograph specimen is mounted to a vibration table that simulates rail car vertical motion. Up to 2,000 amps can be transmitted across the contact point to complete the simulation. Real-time monitoring of the contact bar and trolley wire is achieved with an instrumentation carriage that follows the wire’s zigzag motion.