Modelling of a high-speed railway pantograph with non-linear head-suspension mechanism and parameter optimisation

Abstract Accurate pantograph models are crucial to obtain reliable simulations of the pantograph-catenary dynamic interaction. Non-linearities can make it a challenge to find a model design that fits the dynamic behaviour of the real pantograph. In this work, we propose a novel pantograph model including a particular non-linear mechanism, whose dynamic behaviour significantly affects the pantograph response. This mechanism is composed of two rigid bars and an oblique pre-stressed spring with dry friction and exhibits a complex non-linear behaviour. The objective is to design a model capable of reproducing the behaviour of the real pantograph, which is represented by the dataset of dynamic measurements in the pantograph tests. From a proper parametric representation of the model, the optimisation of the parameters by a genetic algorithm has achieved a good agreement with the experimental data. The resulting optimised model behaves similarly to the real pantograph for a wide range of excitations that vary in type, amplitude and position. Since the higher number of simulations performed in the optimisation makes it necessary to use an efficient simulation tool, we propose an efficient strategy to integrate systems with Coulomb’s friction.