Testing of railway pantograph

The Department of Rail Transport of the Silesian University of Technology conducted certification research of carbon composite materials provided by different manufacturers to be applied as pantograph strips. Additional tests were conducted apart from standard testing, as required by norms and regulations. These included amongst others laboratory test of the friction coefficient between the various materials used for pantograph strips and copper material used for overhead wires of the overhead line system. Apart from that bench testing was conducted in order to test the heating up of the overhead wire at different values of static contact pressure exerted by collector shoes. As part of own research measurements and observation with respect to the behaviour of the new pantograph strips and collector shoes were conducted in operating conditions. The research included amongst others the measurements of wear and forces between the pantograph strips and the overhead wire when in motion.