Development of a Computational Tool for the Dynamic Analysis of the Pantograph-Catenary Interaction for High-Speed Trains

High-speed railway overhead systems are subjected to tight functional requirements to deliver electrical energy to train engines, while their reliability and maintenance periods have to be increased. The quest for interoperability of different pantographs in existing and projected catenary systems puts an extra level of demand on the ability to control their dynamic behaviour. Also the quality of the current collection, the loss of contact and consequent arching, not also limit the top velocity of highspeed trains but have implications in the deterioration of the functional conditions of these mechanical equipment's. To address such important aspects for the design and analysis of the pantograph-catenary system, it is necessary to develop reliable, efficient and accurate computational procedures that allow capturing all the relevant features of their dynamic behaviour. This work presents a computational tool able to handle the dynamics of pantograph-catenary interaction using a fully threedimensional methodology. In order to exploit the advantages of using a multibody formulation to model the pantograph, a high-speed co-simulation procedure is setup in order to communicate with the finite element method, which is used to model the catenary. A contact model, based on a penalty formulation, is selected to represent the interaction between the two codes. The methods and methodologies developed here are used in realistic operation conditions for high speed trains. The purpose is to study the dynamic behaviour of the pantograph-catenary system in single and multiple pantograph operation scenarios and to assess the conditions that limit the increase of the trainset speed.