A study on the measurement of contact force of pantograph on high speed train

Appropriate contact force is required for the pantograph on the high speed train to collect current from the catenery system without separation. However, at high speed, large aerodynamic lifting force is generated by the contact plate and the body of pantograph, which may cause wear of the contact wire. In this study, to confirm the interface performance of the pantograph on Korea High Speed Train, a method to measure the contact force of the pantograph was proposed and the related measuring system was developed. The forces acting on the pantograph were clarified and a practical procedure to estimate the forces was proposed. A special device was invented and applied to measure the aerodynamic lifting force. Measured contact forces were displayed by the developed system and evaluated based on the criteria.