Experimental study of electrical characteristics on pantograph arcing

Perfect sliding electrical contact between pantograph and catenary can guarantee the safety and stability of locomotive. Pantograph arcing is one of the main factors of sliding electrical contact performance in electrified railway system. The main reason of pantograph arcing is the varying gap due to the mechanical vibration between pantograph and catenary, so it is important to study of electrical characteristics on pantograph arcing. In this paper, pantograph arcing experiments are carried out using a novel test apparatus of pantograph arcing, the electrical characteristics are analyzed; arcing voltage and current have a lot of DC and harmonic component. Arcing current has large overshoot when the pantograph arcing start burning, then that according to regular changes in the sinusoidal, arcing voltage has rapid decline when the pantograph arcing start burning, then that was slight change.