Dynamic Analysis of Pantograph-Catenary System considering Ice Coating

Ice coating on overhead contact system (OCS) will affect the sliding of pantograph, and arc discharge phenomena will occur between pantograph and catenary, which will threaten the normal operation of train. This paper presents a comprehensive model to analyze the dynamics of icing on pantograph-catenary (PAC) system. The finite element model (FEM) is used for building the catenary, the pantograph is modeled as lumped-mass model, and the ice section of the cable is fan-shaped. The increased density method, uniform load method, and combinatorial material method of icing are used to analyze the icing problem of PAC system. The similarities and differences between the three simulation methods are compared. The influence of the ice thickness on the current collection quality between the pantograph and catenary at the different operating speeds calculated by the three methods is basically the same, which fully illustrates the effectiveness of the simulated ice coating method. In comparison, the combinatorial material method is a more reasonable method for calculating the icing of catenary systems. The research also shows that the influence of icing on the current collection quality of PAC system is different when the train runs at different speeds. Specifically, as the speed of trains increases, the effect of ice thickness on the current collection quality of the PAC system is becoming increasingly apparent.