Dynamic Characterization of a Railway Pantograph

Sammanfattning

Several different models for a railway pantograph are available in the literature. Each approach aims to include a specific feature, but it comes with limitations. Simple models are available and they provide a good overall description of the pantograph behavior but not how single components interact and affect each other. The scope of this thesis is to start from a lumped mass model and to add complexity by adding features that represent the actual behavior of each part. The project proposes a thorough discussion on the collectors, on the pantograph head, and on the suspension between. The calibration of these parameters is then discussed based on laboratory experiments taken at KTH laboratories on an actual Schunk WBL88-X40 pantograph, in service on SJ Intercity trains. The outcomes of these measurements represent a challenge in finding the parameters that match the actual behavior because they show non-linearities that are cumbersome to relate to a simulated environment, unless the range of investigation is narrowed down and they introduce new limitations.