QIAO Kaiqing, YANG Jia, CAI Junyu, ZHANG Jiawei, DING Run
Journal of Railway Engineering Society. 2026, 43(2): 69-73.
Research purposes: China has successfully established and widely applied the overhead contact system (OCS) and equipment technology system for operational speeds of 350 km/h and below, which has strongly supported the rapid development of high-speed railways. However, with the strategic goal to achieve an operational speed of 400 km/h, a critical question arises: whether the existing OCS and equipment can directly adapt to higher operational speeds. Currently, there is a lack of mature engineering application cases and relevant technical standards for 400 km/h OCS both domestically and internationally. This paper focused on China’s typical 350 km/h OCS (exemplified by the 30 kN + 21 kN configuration) and employed a multidimensional approach—including pantograph-catenary dynamic coupling simulations, mechanical performance tests of equipment, and analysis of high-speed comprehensive test data—to systematically evaluate the adaptability of existing OCS equipment under 400 km/h operational conditions. The study aimed to provide a scientific basis for establishing the OCS technical framework.
Research conclusions: (1) At 400 km/h, the spatial dynamic displacement of key components such as the contact wire, steady arm, dropper, elastic dropper, electrical connection, and mid-point anchor increases significantly. The uplift amplitude generally rises by 50% or more compared to that at 350 km/h, leading to a substantial increase in the risk of collision and wear between wires and components. (2) Under 400 km/h operation, the vibration-induced fatigue of equipment intensifies. For instance, the predicted service life of the continuous dropper is only about 40% of that at 350 km/h, failing to meet the requirement of 2 million cycles of fatigue testing. The risks of fatigue fracture also increase synchronously in electrical connections, elastic droppers, mid-point anchor ropes, and the contact wire itself. (3) Components such as the cantilever support assembly, terminal anchoring clamp, and anchor branch positioning clamp experience relatively minor effects from vibration fatigue at increased speed. Their mechanical strength under both static and dynamic loads meets the operational requirements for 400 km/h. (4) The existing 350 km/h catenary tension system faces challenges in meeting long-term stable operation requirements at 400 km/h, necessitating priority optimization of system design and parameters at the source. (5) This research provides valuable references for the engineering design, equipment development, and maintenance management of electrified railway catenary systems.