Analysis of High-Speed Pantograph Design Parameters with Changes in Span Length

Abstract

A pantograph is a device that supplies electricity to electric vehicles through mechanical contact with the contact wire of the overhead contact system (OCS), and it should be designed considering the OCS characteristics and vehicle speed. In this study, to develop a pantograph suitable for operation at a maximum vehicle speed of 320 km/h under the conditions of the Honam high-speed railway in Korea, a commercial dynamics program, ANSYS Motion, was used to analyze the effect of each pantograph design parameter on the current-collection performance. These effects were reviewed by changing the pantograph design parameters, such as pantograph head weight, frame equivalent mass and stiffness, and head spring coefficient, under various span length conditions of the Honam high-speed railway. The analysis results are expected to be used as basic data for developing high-speed pantographs considering the effects of the OCS conditions.