Automated control system for the contact wire’s wear

• Main Authors: E. V. Arbuzov, E. O. Petrenko
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: MGTU im. N.È. Baumana 2014-01-01
• Series: Nauka i Obrazovanie
• Subjects: nondestructive control; electromagnetic method; eddy current transducer; measuring and information system; contact wire
• Online Access: http://technomag.edu.ru/jour/article/view/470

During the exploitation of railway roads it’s necessary to automate condition monitoring of the overhead system. Beside other parameters, it’s important to check the contact wire’s wear. Precision, sensitivity and performance efficiency of existent technical solutions are limited. The purpose of this work was a development of automated control system for the contact wire’s wear. Operational circumstances require noncontact measurements. Proposed system is based on a use of electro-magnetic (eddy current) method of non-destructive control. The width of contact area between a wire and a pantograph collector was selected as an information-bearing parameter. This system includes a matrix eddy current sensor which consists of 30 eddy current transducers, placed at the pantograph collector, high-frequency generators and signal processing system. Obtained measurement data are transferred to the mobile laboratory’s computer through a fiber-optic carrier line. Further processing and database creation allows one to monitor the condition of a contact wire constantly.