Stitched catenary benchmark. PCaDA statement of methods

Stitched wire overhead contact lines provide superior performance compared to simple catenary systems in terms of smoother contact force profiles and reduced dynamic amplification. However, their design is more complex and requires improved methods for the simulation of pantograph–OCL interaction. This paper contributes to the stitched catenary–pantograph interaction benchmark by presenting how the methods for the modelling and numerical simulation of pantograph–catenary interaction developed at Politecnico di Milano and implemented in the PCaDA software were applied in the benchmark for the two cases considered: high-speed and conventional speed. The results obtained for the two cases are briefly introduced, supporting the comparison of results from all software participating in the benchmark provided in a companion paper. The implications of critical modelling assumptions, such as the size of the finite elements and the parameters of the contact model are discussed. Finally, some additional features of software PCaDA not used in the context of the benchmark are outlined.