Second Paper: The Application of an Analogue Computer to a Problem of Pantograph and Overhead Line Dynamics

Abstract

Conditions of instability are known to occur in railway overhead current collecting systems during the passage of trains at high speeds. They are manifested as oscillations in the vertical plane of such amplitude as to prevent continuous mechanical contact of the static equipment and the moving collector, thereby causing undesirable interruptions in the supply of electric traction current. An introduction and a brief historical survey precede a short study of the methods of theoretical analysis. It is shown that the completely theoretical approach breaks down because of its complexity, and that simulation by means of an electronic analogue is a way of overcoming the complications. The analogues of the overhead equipment and the collector are treated in detail, as is the task of combining the two under the criteria for their interaction. The simulation is still under development but it is possible to give evidence of the method's potential success. A comprehensive list of references gives details of the world-wide sources of present information from full-scale railway systems.