Elektrik: Bekalan Kuasa Tarikan Elektrik (Electric Traction) 5

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Pantographs

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Current is collected from overhead lines by pantographs. Pantographs are easy in terms of isolation - you just lower the pan to lose the power supply to the vehicle. However, they do provide some complications in other ways.

Since the pantograph is usually the single point power contact for the locomotive or power car, it must maintain good contact under all running conditions. The higher the speed, the more difficult the maintenance of good contact. We have already mentioned the problem (above) of a wave being formed in the wire by a pantograph moving at high speed.
Pantograph contact is maintained either by spring or air pressure. Compressed air pressure is preferred for high speed operation. The pantograph is connected to a piston in a cylinder and air pressure in the cylinder maintains the pantograph in the raised condition.
Originally, pantographs were just that, a diamond-shaped "pantograph" with the contact head at the top. Two contact faces are normally provided. More modern systems use a single arm pantograph - really just half of the original shape - a neater looking design (photo above).
The contact strips of the pantograph are supported by a lightweight transverse frame which has "horns" at each end.   These are turned downwards to reduce the risk of the pantograph being hooked over the top of the contact wire as the train moves along. This is one of the most common causes of wires "being down". A train moving at speed with its pantograph hooked over the wire can bring down several kilometres of line before it is detected and the train stopped. The most sophisticated pantographs have horns which are designed to break off when struck hard, for example, by a dropper or catenary support arm.  These special horns have a small air pressure tube attached which, if the pressure is lost, will cause the pan to lower automatically and so reduce the possible wire damage.