On the prediction of wear of contact wire in OHE lines: a proposed model

The main features of a procedure for the prediction of the wear of contact wire in overhead equipment for railway traction is presented. The procedure is based on the simulation of pantograph-catenary dynamic interaction, coupled with a wear model of the contact wire. The wear model takes into account, in a first approximation, the electrical and mechanical contribution to wear, generating a worn contact wire profile, introduced as wire irregularity for subsequent simulations. In this way, it is possible to follow the evolution of wear, considering each simulation representative of a given number of pantograph passages.