Hardware-in-the-Loop Pantograph Tests Interacting with Rigid Overhead Conductor Rail
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The complex dynamic interaction between the pantograph and the rigid overhead conductor rail limits the train's operating speed in sections where it contacts this type of overhead line. To understand its dynamic behavior and improve the quality of the current collection, numerical simulations [1] are typically performed, in which both the pantograph and the catenary are modeled numerically. In contrast to conventional simulations, this work proposes the performance of Hardware-In-the-Loop (HiL) tests between a real pantograph and a numerical model of a rigid catenary. To this end, a real-time rigid catenary model based on modal decomposition is proposed. The methodology introduced in [2], which uses an LQR controller and a Kalman filter as a state estimator, serves as a starting point and is adapted to account for the peculiarities of this type of catenary. The results obtained from the real-time HiL tests are validated by performing iterative HiL tests, achieving a high degree of similarity between them. The proposed methodology is applied to rigid catenaries with different levels of installation irregularities, allowing for the establishment of a relationship between the maximum operating speed and the tolerances permitted during catenary installation to ensure proper current collection.
