TRACTIVE POWER SUPPLY AT GERMAN FEDERAL RAILWAY'S 400 KM/H-RUNS

Wolfgang Harprecht Reinhard S e i f e r t

German F e d e r a l Railway, Headquarters, Dept. M4 German F e d e r a l Railway, Research and T e s t Department Eh,
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 43 - 45 VBlckerstraBe 5
D-6000 Frankfurt/Main 1, W. Germany D-8000 Miinchen 45

Friedrich Kiessling
Siemens AG, T r a n s p o r t a t i o n and P u b l i c A u t h o r i t i e s D i v i s i o n , Dept. E 4 3 ,
Werner-von-Siemens-StraBe 50
D-8520 Erlangen

Abstract OENMARK

During t h e l a s t y e a r s German F e d e r a l Rail-

way (DB) h a s c o n s t r u c t e d new high-speed l i n e s , de-
s i g n e d f o r speeds up t o 300 km/h, and h a s developed
t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e F e d e r a l M i n i s t r y of Research and
Technology and t h e German i n d u s t r y a p r o t o t y p e of DBls
f u t u r e advanced i n t e r c i t y t r a i n s (ICE). On May l s t ,
1988 t h e ICE achieved a speed of 406.9 km/h on a sec-
t i o n of the new-high-speed l i n e between Wiirzburg and
Hanover / 1, 2 /. I t was t h e f i r s t time t h a t a r a i l -
borne v e i i c l e exceeded t h e l i m i t of 400 km/h, and it
surpassed t h e e x i s t i n g r e c o r d of 380 km/h, h e l d by t h e
French N a t i o n a l Railway (SNCF) s i n c e 1981, by approxi-
mately 25 km/h.

S t a r t i n g w i t h a s h o r t review of t h e overhead
c a t e n a r y system employed f o r t h e new l i n e s and of t h e
new high-performance pantographs, t h e r e p o r t d e s c r i b e s
t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c d a t a of t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n . Up-
g r a d i n g of t h e c a t e n a r y and u s i n g a new pantograph
enabled t h e r e c o r d speed on rails. Advanced measuring
d e v i c e s were used t o s u p e r v i s e t h e r u n of t h e panto-
graph and t h e behaviour of t h e c a t e n a r y . The monitored
d a t a proved t h a t t h e t r a c t i v e power was r e l i a b l y
t r a n s m i t t e d t o t h e v e h i c l e even a t t h e a t t a i n e d peak
speed.

The topography of t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n , t h e lim-

i t e d s u p e r e l e v a t i o n of t h e r a i l and t h e power c a p a c i t y
of t h e t r a i n determined t h e achieved speed. The ca-
t e n a r y would have been s u i t a b l e f o r a f u r t h e r rise of
speed.

1. I n t r o d u c t i o n

I n o r d e r t o a c c e l e r a t e t r a f f i c on r a i l s Ger-
man F e d e r a l Railway (DB) s t a r t e d a program t o b u i l d
new high-speed l i n e s and t o upgrade t h e e x i s t i n g n e t .
T h i s program comprises a t o t a l of about 2300 km. The
f i r s t two completely new l i n e s c o n n e c t i n g Hanover and
Wiirzburg as w e l l as Mannheim and S t u t t g a r t a r e t o be
commissioned end of 1990. Parts of them have a l r e a d y
been t a k e n i n t o s e r v i c e . F i g . 1 shows t h e new l i n e s Fig. 1: High-speed lines within t h e German Railway
w i t h i n t h e German Railway system. The s o u t h e r n p a r t Of network

23 CH2749-0/89/0000-0023$1.OO @ 1989

I1 I
t h e Hanover -
Wiirzburg l i n e &s completed i n due time
t o be put i n t o s e r v i c e end of May 1988.
I n p a r a l l e l t o c o n s t r u c t i o n of new l i n e s a
p r o t o t y p e of t h e f u t u r e advanced i n t e r c i t y t r a i n s , t h e
ICE ( I n t e r c i t y Experimental), was developed and com-
missioned end o f 1985. T h e r e f o r e , a v e h i c l e and a
s t r e t c h were a v a i l a b l e t o approach t h e l i m i t s of t h e
w h e e l - r a i l system, and DB's management decided t o
c a r r y o u t high-speed r u n s on t h e new l i n e . The r u n s
s t a r t e d on A p r i l 22nd, 1988 and culminated w i t h a max-
i m u m speed of 406.9 km/h on May lst, 1988.
The r o u t e s of t h e new high-speed l i n e s L-3-7
have been surveyed t o a l l o w f o r speeds up t o 300 km/h
and t o be s u i t a b l e f o r passenger as well a s f o r
f r e i g h t t r a i n s . T h e r e f o r e , o n l y a maximum s l o p e of
12.5 ' 1. was p e r m i t t e d as a g a i n s t 35 %. adopted f o r
SNCF's new P a r i s - Lyon l i n e .
The l i m i t a t i o n of t h e s l o p e and t h e a d v e r s e
topography of h i l l y t e r r a i n encountered i n most p a r t s
of t h e new l i n e s as well as environmental a s p e c t s ne-
c e s s i t a t e d a huge number of t u n n e l s . Out of t h e 327 km
l o n g s e c t i o n Hanover - Wiirzburg 1 2 1 km r u n i n a t o t a l
of 61 t u n n e l s , and o u t of t h e 99 km l o n g Mannheim -
S t u t t g a r t s e c t i o n 30 km i n 15 t u n n e l s . A l l t u n n e l s
must be passed w i t h m a x i m u m speed.
The ICE (Fig. 2 ) was developed as p r o t o t y p e
of D B ' s f u t u r e advanced high-speed i n t e r c i t y t r a i n s
which w i l l c i r c u l a t e on t h e new l i n e s and on t h e up-
graded p a r t s of t h e e x i s t i n g network s t a r t i n g i n 1991.
T h i s p r o t o t y p e t r a i n was designed f o r a maximum speed
of 100 m / s (360 km/h) and intended t o t e s t advanced
r a i l r o a d - t r a c t i v e , c o n t r o l , running and braking tech-
nology 4-/. The t r a i n is composed of two e n g i n e s a t
t h e head and t h e end and a v a r i a b l e number of unpow-
e r e d i n t e r m e d i a t e cars i n between. The e n g i n e s have
been provided w i t h a power c a p a c i t y of 4200 kW each.
They employ modern 3-phase equipment and are c o n t r o l -
l e d d i g i t a l l y as f a r a s p o s s i b l e .
A s a p p l i e s t o D B ' s e x i s t i n g network of elec-
t r i f i e d l i n e s , t h e new l i n e s a r e s u p p l i e d w i t h 15 kV/
16 2/3 Hz t r a c t i v e energy. For t h i s t y p e of power sup-
p l y t h e l i n e ' s electric equipment proves t o be compar-
a t i v e l y simple. T h e r e f o r e , a c o n v e n t i o n a l c a t e n a r y
was i n s t a l l e d on t h e new l i n e s . The f a i l s a f e power
Fig. 2: The ICE running i n t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n
24
I1 I 1
s u p p l y through t h e overhead c a t e n a r y and t h e panto-
graph t o t h e v e h i c l e is t h e d e c i s i v e f a c t o r i n a speed
r e c o r d a t t e m p t w i t h e l e c t r i c a l t r a c t i o n . The speed
which c o u l d be achieved i n t h e tests of SNCF i n 1981
was l i m i t e d by the power supply through t h e overhead
c a t e n a r y system L 5-/. These d i f f i c u l t i e s were e f f e c -
t i v e l y avoided by a n adequate a d a p t i o n of t h e overhead
c a t e n a r y i n t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e high
speed and by t h e newly developed pantograph. There-
f o r e , t h e power s u p p l y d i d n o t determine t h e maximum
speed achieved.
2. T r i a l S e c t i o n and Record Run
The s t r e t c h where t h e ICE r a n w i t h t h e maxi-
mum speed is p a r t of t h e new high-speed l i n e from
Hanover t o Wiirzburg and is a l l t o g e t h e r a b o u t 60 km
long. The t r i a l r u n s s t a r t e d i n t h e s t a t i o n of Wiirz-
burg and ended i n t h e s e r v i c e s t a t i o n of Mottgers.
Fig. 3 shows t h e topography of t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n . The
overhead c a t e n a r y had been upgraded between km 308 and
km 282 on a t o t a l l e n g t h of 26 km, because i n t h i s
s e c t i o n s p e e d s exceeding c o n s i d e r a b l y 300 km/h were
expected.
A t t h e beginning of t h i s s e c t i o n t h e l i n e
s l i g h t l y ascends. Then it s l o p e s down t o t h e Main val-
l e y f o r about 10 km w i t h a n i n c l i n a t i o n of 12.5 %a. I n
f r o n t of t h e Einmalberg t u n n e l a s h o r t a s c e n t a l s o of
12.5 %f.o l l o w s and t h e n t h e l i n e s l o p e s down a g a i n t o
t h e S i n n v a l l e y with a n i n c l i n a t i o n of 8 %..The l a s t
p a r t of t h e s e c t i o n is almost l e v e l . The smallest
curve r a d i i of t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n amount t o 5300 m with
a r a i l s u p e r e l e v a t i o n of 85 mm.
There are t h r e e t u n n e l s i n t h i s l i n e s e c t i o n :
t h e Muhlberg t u n n e l , t h e Einmalberg t u n n e l and t h e
Sinnberg t u n n e l . These t h r e e t u n n e l s are s i t u a t e d
w i t h i n t h e p a r t where t h e peak speeds d u r i n g t h e t r i a l
r u n s had t o be expected. A t o t a l of 14 s w i t c h p o i n t s
form p a r t of t h e t r i a l t r a c k ; two of them, s i t u a t e d i n
t h e Miihlberg t u n n e l , had t o be passed w i t h t h e maximum
speed. No m o d i f i c a t i o n was made t o t h e t r a c k , includ-
i n g t h e s w i t c h p o i n t s . The r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l r a d i i w i t h
l i m i t e d s u p e r e l e v a t i o n and t h e t u n n e l s do n o t c o n s t i -
t u t e optimum c o n d i t i o n s f o r high-speed runs. But s i n c e
i n p r i n c i p l e a l l o t h e r s e c t i o n s of t h e new l i n e do n o t
o f f e r any b e t t e r c o n d i t i o n s , DB decided t o u s e t h e
d e s c r i b e d s e c t i o n f o r t h e tests.
running speed v I krnihl
~
Einrnalberg Sinnberg '
-- Rohrboch stotion
- 26_
. krn _ ~ ~ -,
_ _
Burgsinn station
_ _
Fig. 3: Topography of t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n , speed a t t h e
record run
 During t h e r e c o r d r u n t h e I C E a t t a i n e d a
speed of 365 km/h a t km 300, a c c e l e r a t e d t o 380 km/h
b e f o r e e n t e r i n g t h e Miihlberg t u n n e l and s u r p a s s e d
400 km/h a t km 292.7 j u s t b e f o r e t h e end of t h e Muhl-
berg t u n n e l . On t h e Main v a l l e y b r i d g e t h e speed in- truck center
c r e a s e d t o 405 km/h. On t h e s l o p e down t o t h e Sinn
v a l l e y t h e I C E c o u l d a c c e l e r a t e once a g a i n and reached
t h e t o p speed of 406.9 km/h a t km 288.0 i n t h e Sinn stitch wire Bzll 35mrn’ messenger wire Bzll 70rnm’
v a l l e y (Fig. 31, e x a c t l y a t 11.13 o ‘ c l o c k on May lst, F = 2.8 kN F=lSkN
1988. From km 292.7 t o lan 287.3, t h a t is t o s a y on a
l e n g t h of 5.4 km, t h e speed was above 400 km/h. De-
s p i t e t h e unfavourable topography of t h e r o u t e t h e I C E
achieved t h e a s s i g n e d t e s t o b j e c t i v e s i n a l l r e s p e c t s .

3. Overhead Catenarx
CWH=5.30m \, \
D B l s new l i n e s are equipped w i t h a newly i contact wire RIS 120115kN dropper B z l l 16mrn’
developed -catenary f o r t h e s e r v i c e speed of 250 km/h
-/ 6, 7, a-/, which is c a l l e d R e 250. The Re 250 is a VSO i
l i g h t c a t e n a r y w i t h a messenger and a c o n t a c t w i r e and
s t i t c h wires w i t h i n t h e r a n g e of t h e s u p p o r t s , a s i t 0.30 m track center
is commonly i n s t a l l e d on many o t h e r AGpowered rail-
ways. The v e r s i o n of t h e Re 250 i n t h e t u n n e l s e c t i o n s /
d i f f e r s from t h e t y p e i n t h e open s e c t i o n s by a re- support contact wire support
duced system h e i g h t and s h o r t e r span l e n g t h s .
Fig. 4: Catenary of t h e c o n t a c t l i n e system Re 250 on
The d e s i g n of t h e c a t e n a r y is of utmost im- open a i r s e c t i o n s
p o r t a n c e i n view of t h e very high speeds. Mechanical
r a t i n g of t h e Re 250 aimed a t reducing t h e e l a s t i c i t y The chosen span l e n g t h s and t h e t e n s i l e f o r c e
of t h e c a t e n a r y t o approximately 0.5 m/N. T h i s was of 15 kN i n t h e c o n t a c t and messenger wire r e s u l t e d i n
ensured by i n c r e a s e of t h e t e n s i l e f o r c e s i n t h e con- a mid-span e l a s t i c i t y of 0.6 m/N i n t h e open-air sec-
tact and messenger wire and by t h e l i m i t a t i o n of t h e t i o n s and 0.4 mm/N i n t h e t u n n e l s . Optimizing t h e
span l e n g t h s t o a maximum of 65 m i n t h e open s e c t i o n s l e n g t h and t h e t e n s i l e f o r c e s of t h e s t i t c h w i r e s re-
and 44 m i n t h e t u n n e l s , as a g a i n s t t h e d e s i g n h i t h - duced t h e non-uniformity t o 10 % i n t h e o p e n - a i r sec-
e r t o used by DB w i t h a maximm of 80 m. t i o n s and 6 % i n t h e t u n n e l s .
F i g . 4 shows t h e c a t e n a r y i n t h e open sec- 4. Pantograph
t i o n s . Table 1 lists t h e most i m p o r t a n t d a t a . The
copper c o n t a c t wire a l l o y e d w i t h 0.1 % o f s i l v e r h a s a Primary t e s t s w i t h speeds of 250 km/h proved
nominal s t r e n g t h of 350 N/m’ and a c c o r d i n g t o German t h a t D B l s s t a n d a r d pantograph would n o t be s u i t a b l e
Standard i t can be s t r u n g w i t h a maximm s t r e s s of f o r speeds of 250 km/h and above. T h e r e f o r e , new pan-
160 N/mmz. The chosen t e n s i l e f o r c e of 1 5 kk?, t h a t is t o g r a p h s had t o be developed.
t o s a y a stress of 125 N/m‘ f o r a new c o n t a c t wire,
t a k e s i n t o account p o s s i b l e wear and tear. The messen- The overhead c a t e n a r y t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e pan-
g e r wire, a bronze w i r e Bz I1 70, was a l s o s t r u n g w i t h tograph forms a system a b l e t o v i b r a t e ; i t s components
a t e n s i l e f o r c e of 15 kN. cannot be a s s e s s e d independent from each o t h e r . The
c o n t a c t f o r c e s form a c r i t e r i o n f o r t h e i n t e r a c t i o n
Table 1: T e c h n i c a l Data o f Contact Line Re 250 between pantograph and c a t e n a r y . To a d o p t t h i s crite-
r i o n i t is n e c e s s a r y t o measure t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s
Contact w i r e CuAgRi 120 c o n t i n u o u s l y . For t h i s purpose D B l s r e s e a r c h and test
department develoEed an-equipment which has been i n
T e n s i l e f o r c e of c o n t a c t wire (kN) 15 u s e s i n c e 1981 9, lo-/. It r e c o r d s t h e p a t t e r n of
Messenger wire Bz I1 70 t h e f o r c e s under l i v e c o n d i t i o n s and e n a b l e s t o calcu-
l a t e t h e mean v a l u e , t h e minimum and maximum as w e l l
T e n s i l e f o r c e of messenger w i r e (kN) 15 a s t h e s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n . F i g . 11 and 14 show exam-
S t i t c h wire Bz I1 35 p l e s . According t o t h e Gaussian d i s t r i b u t i o n t h e con-
t a c t f o r c e s normally r e g i s t e r e d v a r y between t h e mean
T e n s i l e f o r c e of s t i t c h wire (kN) 2.8 v a l u e plus/minus t h r e e times t h e s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n .
Length of s t i t c h wire’) (m) 18/14 I n o r d e r t o keep t h e maximum c o n t a c t f o r c e below 200 N,
i t was s t i p u l a t e d t h a t
Current capacity2) (A) 670
- t h e mean c o n t a c t p r e s s u r e of t h e new pantograph is
Maximum span1) (m) 65/44 n o t t o exceed 120 N and
System h e i g h t (m) 1.8/1.1
- t h e s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n s h a l l be a t most 20 $ o f t h i s
v a l u e , t h a t is t o s a y o n l y 24 N .
Stagger (m) -+ 0.3
The t a r g e t (Fig. 5 ) for t h e s t a n d a r d devia-
Contact w i r e h e i g h t (m) 5.3 t i o n of t h e dynamic f o r c e s f o r new pantographs under
0.6/0.4 t h e overhead c a t e n a r y R e 250 was based on t h e s e v a l u e s
E l a s t i c i t y , mid span’) (mm/N ) which were r e l a t e d t o a speed of 300 h / h .
E l a s t i c i t y , s u p p o r t 1) (m/N 1 0.5/0.35
Non-uniformity 1) T h e o r e t i c a l - c a l c u l a t i o n s adopting-Finite E l e -
(X) 10/6
ments Method L U-/, wind t u n n e l t e s t s L 12-/, t r i a l
r u n s on v e h i c l e s and measurements on D B l s v i b r a t i o n
1) The second f i g u r e r e l a t e s t o t u n n e l s e c t i o n s
t e s t s t a n d ensured t h a t t h e newly designed pantographs
2 ) With a c o n t a c t w i r e worn o u t t o 8 0 % of its c r o s s - met t h e s t i p u l a t i o n s and proved s u i t a b l e f o r speeds
s e c t i o n , w i t h o u t p a r a l l e l f e e d e r s and w i t h o u t exceeding 400 km/h w i t h o u t any m o d i f i c a t i o n s . Fig. 6
t r a n s v e r s e c o u p l i n g of p a r a l l e l c a t e n a r i e s and 7 show new t y p e s of pantographs.

I1 I
 35 -
pantograph SBS 65 under Re200 /

target for new pantograph under Re 250

5
I

Fig. 5: S t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n o f t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s of Fig. 7: Pantograph SSS 87, developed f o r s p e e d s up t o

DB's s t a n d a r d p a n t o g r a p h s r u n n i n g under stan- 300 km/h
d a r d c o n t a c t l i n e s and u n t e r t h e Re 250 s y s -
tem, t a r g e t of s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n f o r a new system overhead c a t e n a r y / p a n t o g r a p h would a l l o w for
pantograph s p e e d s around 400 km/h. I n SNCFIs high-speed rung i E
1981 t h e a c h i e v e d speed was l i m i t e d t o 380 W h L 5-/
The improvements were a c h i e v e d due t o t h e by t h e dynamic l i f t i n c r e a s i n g t h e t o t a l l i f t of t h e
f o l l o w i n g d e s i g n c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e pantograph overhead c a t e n a r y t o about 200 m L U-/.
DSA 350 mounted on t h e I C E d u r i n g t h e high-speed r u n s :
During test r u n s i n November 1986 on a p a r t
- i n d i v i d u a l r e s i l i e n t suspension of t h e c o l l e c t o r
o f t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n t h e speed o f t h e ICE was in-
s t r i p s by f o u r separate s p r i n g s ,
c r e a s e d s t e p by s t e p up t o a maximum o f 345 km/h
- r e d u c t i o n of t h e v i b r a t i n g mass t o 5.6 kg,
-/ 14-/. Thereby, a maximum of 105 mm was measured for
- progressive c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of s p r i n g s ,
t h e l i f t o f t h e c o n t a c t wire a t one s u p p o r t . However,
- uncoupling t h e head mass from t h e s u p p o r t mass,
a t t h a t s u p p o r t t h e speed was o n l y 310 h / h . With t h e
- r e d u c t i o n of t h e upper arm's mass
r u n n i n g speed t h e l i f t i n c r e a s e d much more t h a n pro-
- d e s i g n of t h e upper arm as secondary s p r i n g , how-
p o r t i o n a l l y ( F i g . 8). S i n c e t h e a v e r a g e c o n t a c t f o r c e
e v e r , w i t h e f f e c t i v e damping f e a t u r e s ,
of t h e pantograph was 120 N c o n s t a n t l y , t h e l i f t was
- c o o r d i n a t i o n of t h e r i g i d i t i e s of t h e upper arm and
i n c r e a s e d c o n s i d e r a b l y by dynamic e f f e c t s .
t h e head,
- damping of t h e arm's movements by dampers i n t h e
The dynamic behaviour of an overhead c a t e n a r y
lower arm.
depending on t h e r u n n i n g speed can be a s s e s s e d by t h e
Doppler c o e f f i c i e n t
A i r b a f f l e s c o r r e c t e d t h e aerodynamic u p l i f t
f o r c e i n a way t h a t up t o 300 km/h o n l y a s l i g h t in-
c r e a s e o c c u r s and t h e mean c o n t a c t f o r c e does n o t ex-
a=-
c - v
c + v
(1)
ceed t h e r e q u i r e d v a l u e of 120 N.
lit1 l m m l
A t a speed of 300 km/h t h e new pantograph &

a c h i e v e d s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n s of t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s on 3w
t h e overhead c a t e n a r y Re 250 between 16 N and 20 N , Re250 RiS120. F; =15kNc125N/rnrn'
which were c l e a r l y below t h e t a r g e t . SNCF Ril5C. ii =20kN:l33N/mm~
R e 2 5 0 V RiSl2O.F: =ZlkN~i75N/mm'.
5. P r e p a r a t i o n s f o r t h e Record Run 250

5.1 Technical Considerations

200
During p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r t h e high-speed r u n s
it was of d e c i s i v e importance whether t h e e x i s t i n g
/ / 6 measired values SNCF
15G

io0 7 / open-air sectlop

50

0
200 250 300 350 400 150
running speed v I km/hl 3
Fig. 8: L i f t of t h e c o n t a c t w i r e as a g a i n s t t h e run-
Fig. 6: Pantograph DSA 350, developed f o r high-speed n i n g speed f o r v a r i o u s overhead c a t e n a r y sys-
runs t ems

26

I1 I 1
v being t h e running speed i n m/s and c t h e p r o p a g a t i o n Table 2: Dynamic C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of Contact L i n e s
v e l o c i t y of t r a n s v e r s e waves i n t h e c o n t a c t wire i n
d s . T h i s v e l o c i t y o f wave p r o p a g a t i o n r e s u l t s from

E E
R e 250 SNCF R e 250
reinforced
c = = i n m/s
C o n t a c t wire CuAgRi 120 C u R i 150 CuAgRi 120
mF being t h e mass per u n i t l e n g t h o f t h e c o n t a c t wire T e n s i l e f o r c e (kN) 15 20 21
i n kg/m, (JF t h e t e n s i l e stress of t h e c o n t a c t w i r e i n
N/mm2 and QF t h e c r o s s - s e c t i o n a l mass p e r u n i t l e n g t h Messenger wire Bz I1 70 Bz I1 65 Bz I1 70
of t h e c o n t a c t wire i n kg/m .
mm'. The v e l o c i t y of
wave p r o p a g a t i o n f o r t h e Re 250 amounts t o 426 km/h.
T e n s i l e f o r c e (kN) 15 14 15
T h i s was a l s o confirmed by tests. V e l o c i t y of wave
p r o p a g a t i o n (km/h) 426 440 504
The r e f l e c t i o n c o e f f i c i e n t Reflection c o e f f i c i e n t 0.433 0.363 0.392

r = dFT "T (3)

Elasticity')
Mid span
(mm/~)
0.6/0.4 0.53 0.52IO.35
p x +p z Support 0.5/0.35 - 0.4 W O . 31

mT b e i n g t h e mass p e r u n i t l e n g t h of t h e messenger S t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n (N)

wire i n kg/m, and i t s r a t i o g t o t h e Doppler co- a t 280 km/h 22 - 16
efficient a t 400 km/h - - 26
Doppler c o e f f i c i e n t
(4) a t 250 h / h 0.260 0.275 0.337
a t 400 km/h 0.032 0.048 0.115
which is d e s i g n a t e d as a m p l i f i c a t i o n c o e f f i c i e n t ,
c o d e t e n n i n e t h e dynamic behaviour of t h e c a t e n a r y ac- Amplification c o e f f i c i e n t
cording t o 15-/. T a b l e 2 shows c h a r a c t e r i s t i c d a t a a t 250 km/h 1.7 1.3 1.2
o f some c a t e n a r i e s f o r extreme h i g h speeds. a t 400 b / h 13.5 7.6 3.4

SNCF performed t h e i r high-speed r u n under a 1) The second f i g u r e r e l a t e s t o t u n n e l s e c t i o n s

c a t e n a r y comprising a c o n t a c t w i r e w i t h a c r o s s - s e c -
t i o n of 150 mm', which had k e n - t e n s i o n e d w i t h 20 kN,
t h a t is t o s a y 133 N/mmz L 5-/, r e s u l t i n g i n a wave
p r o p a g a t i o n v e l o c i t y of 440 b / h . I n F i g . 10 t h e mea-
s u r e d and c a l c u l a t e d l i f t v a l u e s f o r t h i s c a t e n a r y
are p l o t t e d a g a i n s t t h e speed. According t o L 13-/
t h e v a l u e s measured by SNCF a t a speed of 300 km/h
are below t h e d a t a r e c o r d e d i n November 1986 for t h e
Re 250. A t 400 km/h l i f t s of a b o u t 300 mn would have
t o be e x p e c t e d for t h e overhead c a t e n a r y of SNCF.
S i n c e t h e wave p r o p a g a t i o n v e l o c i t y of t h e
Re 250 is o n l y 426 km/h, dynamic e f f e c t s would be
s t r o n g e r s t i l l and t h e l i f t of t h e Re 250 would exceed
300 nm by f a r a t a running speed of 400 km/h. However,
t h e l i f t of t h e Re 250 is l i m i t e d t o 200 mn for d e s i g n
r e a s o n s . T h e r e f o r e , t h e Re 250 c a t e n a r y d i d n o t prove
s u i t a b l e f o r 400 km/h r u n s .
C o n s i d e r a t i o n of t h e Doppler and t h e a m p l i f i -
c a t i o n c o e f f i c i e n t , which are p l o t t e d a g a i n s t t h e run-
n i n g speed i n F i g . 9 , l e d t o t h e same r e s u l t . The
Doppler c o e f f i c i e n t is 0.073 a t a speed of 380 km/h
f o r t h e t e s t overhead c a t e n a r y of SNCF. F o r t h e R e 250
i t amounts o n l y to 0.032 a t a speed of 400 W h . T h i s
c o e f f i c i e n t is 0.098 a t a speed of 350 km/h which was
a l m o s t r e a c h e d i n November 1986. C l o s e t o wave prop-
a g a t i o n v e l o c i t y a r e l a t i v e l y small i n c r e a s e of t h e
speed h a s a n e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y g r e a t i n f l u e n c e on t h e
dynamic behaviour.
The c o r r e s p o n d i n g a m p l i f i c a t i o n c o e f f i c i e n t s
are 5.2 (SNCF test overhead c a t e n a r y a t a speed of
380 km/h), 13.5 (400 km/h under t h e Re 250) and 4.4
( r u n s w i t h 350 km/h i n 1986 under R e 250). SNCF's test
c a t e n a r y c o u l d n o t s t a n d more t h a n 5.2.
I n o r d e r t o reduce t h e dynamic l i f t , t h e
Doppler c o e f f i c i e n t had t o be i n c r e a s e d . That c o u l d
o n l y be a c h i e v e d by augmenting t h e wave p r o p a g a t i o n
v e l o c i t y of t h e c o n t a c t wire.
I n c r e a s e of t h e t e n s i l e f o r c e of t h e e x i s t i n g
c o n t a c t w i r e seemed t o be t h e most p r o s p e c t i v e p o s s i -
b i l i t y of reaching t h e 400 km/h t a r g e t . I n o r d e r n o t
t o f a l l s h o r t of a Doppler c o e f f i c i e n t of 0.1 a t a
running speed of 400 km/h and t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t t h e
p r a c t i c a l p o s s i b i l i t i e s t o increase t h e tensile force
due t o t h e d e s i g n o f t h e a u t o m a t i c t e n s i o n i n g d e v i c e s ,
DB's r e s p o n s i b l e p r o j e c t management decided t o t e n s i o n
t h e c o n t a c t wire w i t h 21 kN c o r r e s p o n d i n g t o e i g h t
a d d i t i o n a l c o u n t e r weights.
I n consequence t h e wave p r o p a g a t i o n v e l o c i t y
i n c r e a s e d t o 504 km/h, t h e r e f l e c t i o n c o e f f i c i e n t
amounted t o 0.392, and a t a r u n n i n g speed of 400 W h
t h e a m p l i f i c a t i o n c o e f f i c i e n t was 3.4. According to
e x p e r i e n c e t h e s e d a t a allowed a l s o f o r speeds exceed-
i n g 400 km/h.
Fig. 9 shows t h e c o n s i d e r a b l e improvement of
t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c data r e s u l t i n g from t h e i n c r e a s e of
t h e c o n t a c t wire t e n s i l e stress. E s p e c i a l l y a t s p e e d s
exceeding 350 km/h s u b s t a n t i a l l y lower l i f t s of t h e
overhead c a t e n a r y are t o be e x p e c t e d ( F i g . 8 ) .
A t e n s i l e stress of 175 N/mm', corresponding
t o a t e n s i l e f o r c e of 21 IcN, r e s u l t e d for a new con-
tact wire w i t h unworn c r o s s - s e c t i o n . T h i s exceeded t h e
p e r m i s s i b l e - v a l u e of 160 N/mm', s p e c i f i e d by German
standard 16-/, f o r s i l v e r - a l l o y e d c o n t a c t w i r e s by
9.4 5. However, f o r t h e r e c o r d a t t e m p t w i t h permanent
m o n i t o r i n g o f t h e pantograph r u n t h e r e were no reser-
v a t i o n s as t o t h i s d a t a .
The increase of t h e t e n s i l e f o r c e l e n g t h e n s
t h e c o n t a c t wire. A t t h e e n d s of a h a l f s e c t i o n , which
is a t maximum 600 m l o n g , expansion of a c o n t a c t w i r e
of a b o u t 0.25 m occurred. The e l o n g a t i o n of t h e con-
tact wire caused a n o f f - s e t of t h e d r o p p e r s and t h e
s t e a d y arms t o move o u t of t h e i r normal p o s i t i o n . This
r e q u i r e d d i s p l a c i n g of t h e d r o p p e r s on t h e c o n t a c t
wire and s h i f t i n g of t h e s t e a d y arms.
The s w i t c h p o i n t s of t h e new high-speed l i n e s
are equipped w i t h a r e l a t i v e l y s i m p l e c a t e n a r y d e s i g n .
The c o n t a c t wire above t h e branch-off t r a c k r u n s i n
l a t e r a l l y and c r o s s e s o v e r t h e c o n t a c t w i r e of t h e
main t r a c k . The same_ d e s i g n h a s been used f o r D B ' s
s t a n d a r d c a t e n a r i e s L 17-/. When i n c r e a s i n g t h e speed

27

I1 I
 Doppler coefficient a omplificotion coefficient support no
287-39k 287-611 288 - 5k
I I I
Lo? tensile force 15kN
I / lift position
I 1
-c
neutml position
conloct wire height I m l overlap spon
560 I tensile force 2lkN I l i f t position 1
1 1 1

Fig. 10: S t a t i c p o s i t i o n of t h e c o n t a c t wire above t h e

t r a c k b e f o r e and a f t e r i n c r e a s e of t h e ten-
s i l e force

When e n t e r i n g t h e upgraded overhead c a t e n a r y

2w 300 5m s e c t i o n t h e mere o b s e r v a t i o n of t h e pantograph r u n
running speed v Ikrn/hl -P a l o n e c l e a r l y shobied t h e f a v o u r a b l e e f f e c t of t h e re-
c o n s t r u c t i o n measures. The electric arcs o c c u r r i n g on
Fig. 9: Doppler and a m p l i f i c a t i o n c o e f f i c i e n t as t h e c o l l e c t o r s t r i p s i n t h e o t h e r s e c t i o n s a t a speed
a g a i n s t t h e running speed for v a r i o u s high- of 280 km/h d i s a p p e a r e d a l m o s t a t a l l . Comparison of
speed c a t e n a r i e s t h e measuring r e c o r d s b e f o r e and a f t e r t h e i n c r e a s e of
t h e c o n t a c t wire t e n s i l e f o r c e shows t h a t t h e maxima
t o t h e d e s i r e d e x t e n t it c o u l d n o t c o m p l e t e l y be d i s - d e c r e a s e d and t h e minima i n c r e a s e d c o n s i d e r a b l y . The
r e g a r d e d t h a t t h e pantograph might i n t e r f e r e w i t h t h e dynamic r a n g e was reduced and t h e p a t t e r n of t h e con-
c r o s s i n g c a t e n a r y due t o t h e e x p e c t e d f o r c e s and tact f o r c e is e x c e l l e n t l y uniform. T h i s improved be-
l i f t s . Therefore, t h e c a t e n a r i e s crossing within t h e h a v i o u r of t h e overhead c a t e n a r y was demonstrated by
t r i a l t r a c k were l i f t e d so h i g h t h a t t h e y were o u t s i d e t h e s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n s . A t a speed of 280 km/h t h e y
t h e l i f t range. were reduced on t h e a v e r a g e f r u n a b o u t 22 N t o 18 N.
5.2 Upgrading Measures 6. Measuring Technique Used f o r t h e Super-

The r e c o n s t r u c t i o n comprised a t o t a l o f 34 v i s i o n o f t h e High-speed Runs

t e n s i o n i n g s e c t i o n s o v e r t h e main t r a c k and 1 4 o v e r
s w i t c h p o i n t s ; work s t a r t e d on A p r i l l l t h , 1988 and
was f i n i s h e d on A p r i l 1 7 t h , 1988.
A f t e r completion of t h e upgrading measures
and p r i o r t o t h e high-speed r u n s t h e p r o j e c t manage-
ment checked t h e overhead c a t e n a r y o f t h e t r i a l sec-
t i o n by a n o t h e r v e r y d e t a i l e d i n s p e c t i o n . A c o n t a c t
wire l e v e l r e c o r d e r monitored t h e s t a t i c n e u t r a l posi-
t i o n o f t h e c o n t a c t wire w i t h a c o n t a c t f o r c e of t h e
measuring pantograph of 7 N a t a speed of 5 km/h and
checked t h e s t a t i c l i f t p o s i t i o n w i t h a c o n t a c t f o r c e
of 100 N and a t a speed of 20 h / h . F i g . 1 0 shows t h e
c o n t a c t wire p o s i t i o n monitored by t h e c o n t a c t wire
l e v e l r e c o r d e r b e f o r e and a f t e r upgrading o f t h e over-
head c a t e n a r y . The l i f t determined by t h e d i s t a n c e
between t h e n e u t r a l and t h e l i f t p o s i t i o n was reduced
c o n s i d e r a b l y due to t h e i n c r e a s e d t e n s i l e f o r c e .
Measurement of t h e l i f t of t h e upgraded over-
head c a t e n a r y i n t h e open a i r and i n t h e t u n n e l showed
t h a t t h e e l a s t i c i t y was f u r t h e r reduced, as i t had
been expected. T a b l e 2 c o n t a i n s t h e v a l u e s measured
for span l e n g t h s of 65 m and 44 m ( t u n n e l ) .
S u p e r v i s i o n by measurement of t h e c r i t i c a l
v a l u e s was a n a b s o l u t e l y n e c e s s a r y p r e r e q u i s i t e t o t h e
r u n s r e a c h i n g new and v e r y h i g h speeds. With r e s p e c t
t o t h e power t r a n s m i s s i o n between t h e c o n t a c t wire and
the vehicle
- t h e r u n of t h e pantograph by r e c o r d i n g t h e c o n t a c t
f o r c e s and t h e l a t e r a l movement of t h e c o n t a c t wire
on t h e c o l l e c t o r s t r i p s ,
- t h e c r i t i c a l s t r a i n of t h e components o f t h e panto-
g r a p h and
- t h e l i f t of t h e c o n t a c t wire a t t h e s u p p o r t s
were s u p e r v i s e d .
6.1 System f o r Measurement of C o n t a c t F o r c e s
For measurements a t t h e pantograph of t h e ICE
a new twenty-channel measuring system was designed,
based on t h e e x p e r i e n c e d e s c r i b e d i n L 9-/, which c a n
be used t o monitor i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e f o r c e s a l s o t h e
v e r t i c a l movements of t h e pantograph as w e l l as accel-
e r a t i o n s , s t r a i n s and wind v e l o c i t i e s on t h e 1 5 kV
high-voltage s i d e .

P r i o r t o t h e f i r s t r u n t o i n c r e a s e t h e speed During t h e r u n s approaching t h e r e c o r d speed

of t h e ICE by s t e p s a measuring t r a i n r a n on t h e t r i a l
s e c t i o n . It comprised a locomotive BR 1 0 3 a d a p t e d f o r
285 km/h- a n d t h e measuring cars for t h e overhead ca-
tenary lo-/ and f o r t h e r u n n i n g and b r a k i n g technol-
ogy. The b e h a v i o u r of t h e pantograph c a n be d i r e c t l y
observed from t h e c o c k p i t of t h e overhead c a t e n a r y
measuring car. For t h e s e i n s p e c t i o n r u n s t h e high-per-
formance p a n t o g r a p h SSS 87 ( F i g . 7 ) had been mounted
o n t o t h e locomotive BR 103.
- t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s of t h e i n d i v i d u a l c o l l e c t o r
strips,
- t h e t o t a l f o r c e of t h e c a u p l e t e pantograph,
- t h e v e r t i c a l movement of t h e pantograph arm,
- t h e v e r t i c a l a c c e l e r a t i o n of t h e pantograph arm a t
t h e knuckle and
- t h e s t r a i n of t h e crossbeam of t h e upper arm
were measured and s u p e r v i s e d .

28
 The p a t t e r n of t h e c o n t a c t force r e f l e c t s t h e
motion and t h e a c c e l e r a t i o n s of t h e overhead c a t e n a r y
and t h e pantograph. T h e r e f o r e , t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e is
t h e most i m p o r t a n t v a l u e f o r t h e a s s e s s m e n t of t h e
dynamic behaviour of t h e c a t e n a r y / p a n t o g r a p h system.

The e v a l u a t i o n system L-18-7 i n s t a l l e d i n t h e

measuring car a l l o w s for c o n t i n u o u s r e c o r d i n g of t h e
measured i n d i v i d u a l v a l u e s as w e l l as of t h e t o t a l
f o r c e s f o r e a c h c o l l e c t o r s t r i p and f o r t h e complete
pantograph. Moreover, t h e v a l u e s measured f o r t h e con-
t a c t f o r c e s were d i g i t i z e d and s t a t i s t i c a l l y e v a l u a t e d
by a computer. The v a l u e s measured f o r t h e c o n t a c t
f o r c e s , t h e v e r t i c a l movements of t h e pantograph, t h e
a c c e l e r a t i o n , t h e s t r a i n of t h e upper arm of t h e pan-
t o g r a p h , t h e s p e e d and t h e d i s t a n c e were tape-recorded
and p l o t t e d (Fig. 11).

6.2 High-speed Video System

A high-speed r e m o t e - c o n t r o l l e d camera was in-
s t a l l e d on t o p o f t h e measuring car i n o r d e r t o ob-
s e r v e d i r e c t l y t h e r u n of t h e pantograph. The p i c t u r e
is reproduced on a v i d e o s c r e e n ( F i g . 12) and recorded
on a v i d e o t a p e a t a frame frequency of 200 p i c t u r e s
p e r second. The speed and t h e r o u t e i n f o r m a t i o n from
t h e EDP system are a l s o recorded. F o r t h e a n a l y s i s of
t h e pantograph behaviour t h e tape speed c a n be changed
d u r i n g r e p r o d u c t i o n of t h e p i c t u r e .
6.3 C o n t r o l o f C o n t a c t Force, S t r a i n Measurement on
t h e Pantograph
A i r f l o w s p e e d s of 450 t o 500 h / h a c t i n g on
t h e pantograph were expected when e n t e r i n g t h e t u n n e l
w i t h r u n n i n g s p e e d s of 400 km/h. Computer c a l c u l a -
t i o n s on t h e b a s i s of aerodynamic l o a d s measured on
t h e pantograph a t a speed of 300 h / h p r e d i c t e d an
i n c r e a s e of t h e aerodynamic l o a d s to a b o u t 3000 N a t
500 W h . S i n c e t h e head of t h e pantograph is exposed
t o 40 t o 50 5 of t h e t o t a l l o a d , t h e upper arm is
Fig. 12: Monitoring the pantograph running with
406 b / h
s t r e s s e d by a c o n s i d e r a b l e bending moment. On t h e
p o i n t of t h e u p p e r arm s t r e s s e d mostly a c c o r d i n g t o
c a l c u l a t i o n s of t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r , s t r a i n wire gauges
were a t t a c h e d for m o n i t o r i n g purposes.
A t s p e e d s above 330 km/h t h e h i g h aerodynamic
l o a d on t h e p a n t o g r a p h i n f l u e n c e s a l s o t h e v e r t i c a l
c o n t a c t f o r c e which should n o t exceed 180 N. I n o r d e r
t o keep t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e w i t h i n t h e s p e c i f i e d l i m i t s ,
a system f o r a semiautomatic c o n t r o l of t h e f o r c e ' s
mean v a l u e was developed. An e x p e r t e n g i n e e r was re-
s p o n s i b l e for t h e comparison of t h e d e s i r e d and t h e
a c t u a l v a l u e s and t h e c o n t r o l of t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e .
The c o n t a c t f o r c e f o r t h e pantograph DSA 350 is ad-
j u s t e d p n e u m a t i c a l l y w i t h a i r bellows. T h e i r p r e s s u r e
c o u l d be a d j u s t e d c o n t i n u o u s l y .
6.4 L i f t of t h e C o n t a c t Wire
A s a l r e a d y mentioned under para 5 t h e abso-
l u t e l i f t of t h e c o n t a c t wire c a n become a c r i t i c a l
v a l u e a t h i g h speeds. S i n c e t h e r e is no method t o mea-
s u r e c o n t i n u o u s l y t h i s v a l u e , s t a t i o n a r y d e v i c e s were
developed which s e r v e d t o measure t h e l i f t of t h e con-
t a c t wire on t e n s u p p o r t s .

A s primary e l e m e n t s r e e l - t y p e p o t e n t i o m e t e r s ,
on e a r t h p o t e n t i a l , were a r r a n g e d on t h e p o l e s (Fig.
1 1 3 ) . The p o t e n t i o m e t e r was connected by a p l a s t i c - c l a d
steel w i r e v i a a n a b o u t 1 m l o n g i n s u l a t i n g i n t e r c o n -

Fig. 13: Devices t o measure t h e c o n t a c t w i r e l i f t by a

Fig. 11: Recording of a high-speed r u n reel-type potentiometer

29

r I
n e c t i n g p i e c e made of K e v l a r to t h e c o n t a c t wire clamp
on t h e s t e a d y a r m , o v e r a g u i d e p u l l e y n h i c h is f i x e d -
t o t h e c r o s s a m . P r e l i m i n a r y tests confirmed t h a t t h e 200 ~

e x p e c t e d v e r t i c a l a c c e l e r a t i o n s of t h e c o n t a c t wire
were c o r r e c t l y p r o c e s s e d by t h e measuring system. The l o o f
measuring i n s t r u m e n t s were i n s t a l l e d i n cars on t h e
adjacent track.

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h i s system a mechanical max- L""

hum i n d i c a t o r , i n t h e form of a l i g h t p l a s t i c r o d , 100

was provided a t some s u p p o r t s . This rod r u n s t h r o u g h a
t u b e w i t h a s p r i n g . I n t h e n e u t r a l p o s i t i o n it rests
on t h e c o n t a c t wire. When a pantograph p a s s e s t h i s r o d 289 3LO kmlh - 288
[NI 3 0 0 7 -
is l i f t e d a c c o r d i n g t o t h e maximum l i f t of t h e c o n t a c t
wire and remains i n t h e h i g h e s t p o s i t i o n . The l i f t c a n
d i r e c t l y be r e a d ( F i g . 1 3 ) . Moreover, d i o d e cameras on
two d i f f e r e n t sites s e r v e d for o b s e r v i n g and r e c o r d i n g
of t h e s t e a d y arm's movement. A l l t h r e e measuring
288
systems worked e x c e l l e n t l y and d e l i v e r e d m o s t l y coin- [ N I 3 02893 ~ 1
ciding results.

7. High-speed Runs

7.1 Schedule

The t e s t i n g program began on A p r i l 22nd, 1988

-/-l-T. B e f o r e i n c r e a s e of t h e s p e e d some i n i t i a l r u n s
were c a r r i e d t o prove t h a t t h e components and measur-
i n g systems were working a c c o r d i n g t o p l a n . The tests
t o i n c r e a s e t h e speed began on A p r i l 25th w i t h a r u n
up t o 350 ka/h and were i n t e r r u p t e d on A p r i l 2 6 t h be-
c a u s e of d e m o n s t r a t i o n r u n s . A f t e r h a v i n g r e a c h e d
370 W h on A p r i l 2 7 t h , t h e ICE exceeded w i t h 401 km/h
on A p r i l 2 8 t h for t h e f i r s t time i n world h i s t o r y t h e
400 W h l i m i t on a r a i l w a y t r a c k . F i n a l l y , on A p r i l
2 9 t h t h e t r i a l t r a i n a t t a i n e d 404 km/h. The maximum Fig. 14: P a t t e r n of c o n t a c t f o r c e s between c o l l e c t o r
speed of 406.9 km/h was r e a c h e d by t h e ICE on Mey lst, s t r i p and c o n t a c t wire a t i n c r e a s i n g r u n n i n g
1988 a t 11.13 o ' c l o c k i n t h e S i n n v a l l e y a t km 288.0 speeds
( s e e Fig. 3 ) . The ICE s u r p a s s e d t h e o l d r e c o r d of
380 km/h by a t o t a l of seven times. dynamic l i f t s are s m a l l e r , too. F i g . 1 5 shows t h e pat-
t e r n of t h e l i f t a t one s u p p o r t d u r i n g t h e r e c o r d run.
7.2 I n t e r a c t i o n of Pantograph and Overhead Catenary The maximum v a l u e amounted t o 137 mm. The data mea-
s u r e d on t h e open-air s e c t i o n c o r r e s p o n d s p e r f e c t l y t o
The r u n s w i t h t h e ICE u s i n g t h e pantograph t h e l i f t c u r v e determined i n advance (see F i g . 8).
DSA 350 confirmed a t first t h e r e s u l t s of p r e v i o u s
o b s e r v a t i o n s . I n the s e c t i o n w i t h t h e upgraded over- E s p e c i a l l y t h e l i f t measurements show t h a t
head c a t e n a r y t h e pantograph r a n up t o 300 km/h almost t h e t a r g e t t o r u n 400 W h c o u l d o n l y be r e a c h e d by
w i t h o u t any s p a r k . The s t a n d a r d d e v i a t i o n of t h e con- upgrading of t h e overhead c a t e n a r y . The maximum possi-
tact f o r c e was reduced t o 1 6 N. The maxima d i d n o t ex- b l e l i f t of 200 mm determined by t h e overhead c a t e n a r y
ceed 180 N any more. Fig. 1 4 shows t h e p a t t e r n s of t h e d e s i g n h a s t o be e x p e c t e d a t a r u n n i n g speed of a b o u t
c o n t a c t f o r c e s of t h e overhead c a t e n a r y on an o p e n - a i r 440 h / h . This means t h a t t h e overhead c a t e n a r y of t h e
s e c t i o n for r u n n i n g s p e e d s of 300 km/h t o 400 km/h i n t r i a l s e c t i o n would indeed have allowed for a f u r t h e r
s t e p s of 20 b / h . During t h e high-speed r u n s t h e f o r c e i n c r e a s e of t h e speed.
e x e r t e d by t h e pantograph was c o n t r o l l e d so t h a t t h e
mean v a l u e d i d n o t exceed 180 N. 7.3 Behaviour of t h e Pantograph

Appearance of electric arcs was l i m i t e d even A s a r e s u l t of t h e r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l a v e r a g e

a t 400 h / h ; c o n t i n u o u s a r c i n g , f o r m e r l y observed dur-
i n g o t h e r r e c o r d r u n s , d i d not occur. The measuring
r e c o r d s ( F i g . 1 4 ) showed no extreme, r e p e a t e d f o r c e
peaks. Also i n t h e o v e r l a p s t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s d i d n o t
show v a l u e s exceeding t h o s e i n t h e o t h e r s p a n s even a t
t h e peak speeds. The peaks of t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s were
o n l y a b o u t 250 N even a t 400 h / h , which g i v e s e v i -
dence of t h e q u a l i t y of t h e overhead c a t e n a r y as well
as of t h e pantograph. A s f a r as t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s are
concerned t r i a l r u n s w i t h peak v a l u e s of up t o 300 N
would be u n o b j e c t i o n a b l e .
Already a t a speed of 300 km/h t h e v a l u e s
measured f o r t h e l i f t of t h e c o n t a c t wire a t the sup-
p o r t s were o b v i o u s l y reduced as compared w i t h t h e
v a l u e s r e g i s t e r e d d u r i n g t h e high-speed r u n s i n Novem-
b e r 1986. The measured d a t a h a s been e n t e r e d i n t o
F i g . 8. A t 300 km/h t h e l i f t amounted t o 50 mm, which
is o n l y half of t h a t observed a t the same speed under
t h e n o t upgraded overhead c a t e n a r y . I n t h e t u n n e l t h e
contact pressure, t h e s p r i n g s supporting t h e c o l l e c t o r
s t r i p s c o u l d work p e r f e c t l y a t any time. T h e r e f o r e ,
t h e f o r c e s r e s u l t i n g from t h e i n t e r a c t i o n w i t h t h e
overhead c a t e n a r y l o a d e d t h e pantograph o n l y t o a
s m a l l e x t e n t . The low a c c e l e r a t i o n s a t t h e knuckle
confirmed its smooth r u n .
On t h e o t h e r hand h i g h bending l o a d s o c c u r r e d
at the upper arm due to aerodynamic e f f e c t s . A t run-
137 mm
A-
support no.
291-25
Fig. 15: Time r e l a t e d p a t t e r n of c o n t a c t wire l i f t a t
a s u p p o r t , r u n n i n g speed 404 km/h

30

TT I
n i n g speeds above 380 km/h t h i s l o a d became a c r i t i c a l
v a l u e when l e a v i n g t h e t u n n e l s . The f a t i g u e s t r e n g t h
was exceeded r e p e a t e d l y and t h e s p e c i f i e d l i m i t i n g
v a l u e of 140 N/mm* was a l m o s t reached a t 400 h / h .
When l e a v i n g a t u n n e l t h e Kind f o r c e s a c t i n g on t h e
upper arm suddenly d e c r e a s e and e x c i t e v i b r a t i o n s of
t h e pantograph, whose f i r s t amplitude c a u s e s high
bending l o a d s . T h i s v i b r a t i o n , however, r a p i d l y f a d e s
away.
The pantograph was equipped with a i r b a f f l e s
which up t o a speed of 300 h / h allowed f o r a s l i g h t
i n c r e a s e of t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e i n o r d e r t h a t t h e re-
q u i r e d ffiean v a l u e of 120 N is n o t exceeded.
During t h e r u n s i t became e v i d e n t t h a t above
330 km/h t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e d i d n o t i n c r e a s e any more
continuously. An e x t r a p o l a t i o n t o 400 km/h r e s u l t e d
i n a mean v a l u e of t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e s which exceeded
200 N c o n s i d e r a b l y . T h e r e f o r e , t h e manual c o n t r o l of
t h e c o n t a c t f o r c e of t h e pantograph appeared t o be t h e
remedy w i t h o u t which t h e peak speed would h a r d l y
have been achieved.
7.4 Recofistruction of t h e Overhead Catenary a f t e r t h e
High-speed Runs
A d e t a i l e d i n s p e c t i o n o f t h e c o n t a c t wire
a f t e r t h e high-speed r u n s d i d n o t show i n c r e a s e d wear,
obvious burn-up o r g l o b u l e s due t o e l e c t r i c arcs. It
was, however, n o t p o s s i b l e t o m a i n t a i n t h e high ten-
s i l e stress because o n l y 160 N/mm* a r e p e r m i s s i b l e
a c c o r d i n g t o r e l e v a n t German s t a n d a r d s . The o r i g i n a l
c o n d i t i o n had, t h e r e f o r e , t o be r e e s t a b l i s h e d . A t
p o i n t s where droppers o r s t e a d y arm c l i p s were l o c a t e d
d e f e c t s i n t h e c o n t a c t wire had been caused, which
would l e a d t o h i g h e r wear a c c o r d i n g t o experience. I n
t h e p e r i o d from May 2nd t o Way 1 2 t h t h e c o n t a c t wire
i n t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n was, t h e r e f o r e , r e p l a c e d and t h e
t e n s i l e f o r c e i n t h e c o n t a c t wire was reduced. A f t e r
f i n a l i n s p e c t i o n r u n s t h e new l i n e s e c t i o n could be
s u b m i t t e d t o o p e r a t i o n i n tiffie and was put i n t o ser-
v i c e when t h e s c h e d u l e was changed on May 2 9 t h , 1988.
8. Conclusions
Not only r e c o r d s but new s c i e n t i f i c - t e c h n i c a l
knowledge concerning t h e i n c r e a s e of t h e running speed
on r a i l s was t h e aim of t h e tests. They have shown i n
a n impressing way t h a t t h e w h e e l - r a i l system is reli-
a b l e a l s o a t speeds exceeding 400 b / h .
Contrary t o r e c o r d r u n s o f o t h e r r a i l w a y ad-
m i n i s t r a t i o n s t h e achieved speed peak was n o t l i m i t e d
by t h e power supply through overhead c a t e n a r y and pan-
tograph. It was, however, determined by t h e topography
of t h e t r i a l s e c t i o n w i t h t h e s u p e r e l e v a t i o n adapted
t o normal o p e r a t i o n as well a s by t h e c a p a c i t y of t h e
v e h i c l e . For s a f e t y r e a s o n s t h e pantograph would have
allowed a t t h e most f o r a s l i g h t i n c r e a s e of t h e run-
n i n g speed. The overhead c a t e n a r y on t h e o t h e r hand
proved t o have c o n s i d e r a b l e r e s e r v e s . A s f a r as t h e
i n t e r a c t i o n between pantograph and overhead c a t e n a r y
is concerned a p e r f e c t dynamic c o n t a c t behaviour was
observed. Speeds around 500 h / h seem t e c h n o l o g i c a l l y
f e a s i b l e w i t h an overhead c a t e n a r y .
The measuring equipment used on t h e r e c o r d
v e h i c l e t o s u p e r v i s e t h e overhead c a t e n a r y h a s proved
i t s worth. Recording and e v a l u a t i o n of t h e d a t a on t h e
c o n t a c t f o r c e s made judgements p o s s i b l e d u r i n g each
r u n or immediately t h e r e a f t e r and enabled t o draw t h e
n e c e s s a r y consequence f o r c o n t i n u i n g t h e tests. The
s t a t i o n a r y measuring equipment f o r t h e l i f t of t h e
c a t e n a r y , which r e p r e s e n t s a c r i t i c a l v a l u e a t speeds
31
1 I
approaching t h e wave propagation v e l o c i t y i n t h e con-
t a c t wire, a l s o worked p e r f e c t l y .
The d e s i g n speed of t h e Re 250 c a t e n a r y was
250 h / h . Tests c a r r i e d o u t under t h e c a t e n a r y and t h e
high-speed r u n s demonstrated t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s of t h e
d e s i g n and t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n s behind it. They proved
t h a t i n r e g u l a r s e r v i c e speeds up t o 300 h / h w i l l n o t
c a u s e any r e d u c t i o n s of t h e q u a l i t y of c o n t a c t between
pantograph and overhead c a t e n a r y .
The t e s t s made c l e a r t h e utmost importance of
t h e t e n s i l e stress i n t h e c o n t a c t wire. I n c r e a s e of
t h i s t e n s i l e stress is an e s s e n t i a l pre-condition f o r
t h e f u r t h e r i n c r e a s e of t h e running speed w i t h elec-
t r i c t r a c t i o n i n normal s e r v i c e .
The p o i n t s of d i s c o n t i n u i t y i n t h e overhead
c a t e n a r y : t h e o v e r l a p s , t h e mid p o i n t s and t h e s w i t c h
p o i n t s o f t e n cause peaks of c o n t a c t f o r c e s , which be-
come more e v i d e n t a t i n c r e a s e d running speeds. The
chosen d e s i g n of t h e s e e l e m e n t s , e s p e c i a l l y of t h e
o v e r l a p s , proved i t s worth a l s o a t maximum speeds.
References
T. Rahn and D. Lubke, 406,5 km/h Rekordfahrt -
d e s ICE/V. Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau, vol.
37, pp. 651 - 662, 1988.
W. Harprecht, F. KieBling and R . S e i f e r t ,
406,g km/h - Weltrekord auf d e r Schiene - Ener-
gieiibertragung b e i d e r Rekordfahrt d e s ICE d e r
-
DE. E l e k t r i s c h e Bahnen, v o l . 86, pp. 268 - 291,
1988.
W. Linkerhagner, Neu- und Ausbaustrecken d e r
Deutschen Bundesbahn und i h r e Einbindung i n d a s
e u r o p a i s c h e Eisenbahnnetz. D i e Bundesbahn, v o l .
55, pp. 349 - 356, 1979.
D. Lubke, I C E , High-tech on r a i l s . Darmtadt:
Hestra-Verlag , 1986.
J. Dupuy: Un nouveau r e c o r d de v i t e s s e pour l a
SNCF e t l ' i n d u s t r i e f r a n g a i s e . Revue G6nGrale
d e s Chemins de F e r , v o l . 100, pp. 2130-213, 1981.
S. Beier, F. L e r n e r , A. Lichtenberg and W. Sp6h-
r e r , D i e O b e r l e i t u n g d e r Deutschen Bundesbahn
f u r i h r e Neubaustrecken. E l e k t r i s c h e Bahnen,
v o l . 80, pp. 119-125, 1982.
K.-H. Bauer, Die neue O b e r l e i t u n g s r e g e l b a u a r t
Re 250 d e r Deutschen fiundesbahn f u r hohe Ge-
schwindigkeiten. Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau,
v o l . 35, PP. 593-599, 1986.
K.-H. Bauer and F. KieAling, Die R e g e l o b e r l e i -
tung i n den Tunneln d e r Neubaustrecken d e r
Deutschen Bundesbahn. Eisenbahntechnische Rund-
s c h a u , v o l . 36, pp. 719-728, 1987.
M. Ostermeyer and E . M r f l e r , Die Messung d e r
K o n t a k t k r a f t zwischen Fahrdraht und S c h l e i f l e i -
s t e . E l e k t r i s c h e Bahnen, v o l . 80, pp. 47-52,
1982.
L-lO-7 R. S e i f e r t , Der neue OberleitungsmeBwagen und
s e i n e meatechnischen Moglichkeiten z u r Uberpru-
fung d e s Energieubertragungssystems Oberlei-
tung - Stromabnehmer. E l e k t r i s c h e Bahnen, vol.
81, pp. 314-3113 and pp. 370-374, 1983.
L-ll-7 S. B a r t e l s , Versuchsstromabnehmer f i i r ICE. Elek-
t r i s c h e Bahnen, v o l . 86, pp. 292-298, 1988.
-/-12-7 E. Pfizenmaier, W.F. King and D. Christ, Unter-
suchungen zur aerodynamischen und aeroakusti-
schen Optimierung eines Stromabnehmers fiir den
-
ICE. AET, vol. 40, 1985.
-/-13-7 J. Daffos and M. Gardou, Les 6tudes rhcentes de
antographes 5 la SNCF. Revue Gknhrale des
:hemins de Fer, vol. 105, pp. 521-528, 1986.
-/-14-7 R. Gabler, Aufnahme des Versuchsbetriebs auf
dem Teilabschnitt Burgsinn - tfberleitstelle
Hohe Wart der Neubaustrecke Hannover - Wiirzburg.
Elektrische Bahnen, vol. 84, pp. 307-312, 1986.
32
Ii
-/-15-7 K.-H. Bauer, R. Bucksch, F. Lerner, R. Mahrt
and F. Schneider, Dynamische Kriterien fiir die
Auslegung von Fahrleitungen. ZEV-Glasers Anna-
len, vol. 103, pp. 365-370, 1979.
-/-16-7 DIN VDE 0115, Part 3, Rail-borne and trackless
vehicles; Particular requirements for station-
ary installations, June 1982.
-117-7 N.N., Die Regelfahrleitung der Deutschen Bun-
desbahn. Elektrische Bahnen, vol. 77, pp. 175-
180, pp. 207-208, 1979.
-n 8 - 7 M. Ostermeyer, Ein neues Me& und Auswertekon-
zept fiir Versuche mit Eisenbahnfahrzeugen, vor-
gestellt am ICE. ZEV-Glasers Annalen, vol. 110,
pp. 360-366, 1986.
I