Performance assessment of pantograph and overhead system based on a vertical coupling dynamics model of the railway system

The increase of train speed leads to a violent vibration of the pantograph and overhead system. To evaluate the interaction performance of the pantograph and overhead system, a whole railway dynamics model including the track, vehicle, pantograph, and overhead system is established. The overhead system is represented by the finite element approach using the analytical formulas of nonlinear cable and truss elements. The vehicle is modeled by a multi-rigid-body system with a pantograph installed on its roof. A beam element with elastic foundations is used to model the track, which possesses harmonic and random irregularities. An iterative algorithm is implemented to solve the nonlinear behavior of the coupling model. The nonlinearities in the deformation of overhead system, the contact of the pantograph and contact line, and the contact of the vehicle-track are properly considered. Several numerical simulations are implemented to systematically investigate the influence of the vehicle-track vibration on the dynamic behavior of pantograph and overhead system. The results indicate that the vehicle-track vibration induced by the rail irregularities with large amplitude or certain wavelength can significantly aggravate the interaction performance of pantograph and overhead system.