Numerical Study on Influence of Asymmetrical Carbon Contact Strip on Aerodynamic Drag of a Pantograph

doi:10.3901/JME.2025.06.206

Abstract

Abstract: Based on a single pantograph, the carbon contact strip of pantograph is optimized into five different models and their flow fields are analyzed. The results show that optimizing the windward and leeward sides of the carbon contact strip into a circular surface can optimize the flow field structure of the panhead area, and the deceleration effect of the airflow through the skateboard is greatly reduced, which reduces the aerodynamic drag of the carbon contact strip area. Only increasing the arc of the leeward side of the carbon contact strip can also optimize the aerodynamic drag of the carbon contact strip area. The aerodynamic drag optimization rate of all four optimized pantograph models reaches more than 12%, and the drag of model Ⅳ reduces 13.84%, and the drag reduction rate of the carbon contact strip reaches 91.82%. Aerodynamic drag reduction design of new high-speed trains can receive references and data support.

Key words: pantograph, carbon contact strip, aerodynamic drag reduction, flow field structure

GAO Guangjun, XIANG Nanshen, WANG Yuechen, XU Ao, DING Yansi, ZAHNG Jie. Numerical Study on Influence of Asymmetrical Carbon Contact Strip on Aerodynamic Drag of a Pantograph[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2025, 61(6): 206-216.

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