Arc Erosion and Wear Induced Particle Emissions in C/Cu Tribo-Pairs of Pantograph-Catenary System

The pantograph-catenary system is a crucial component of rail transit vehicles, performing the vital function of electric energy transmission. During train operation, the current-carrying components continuously emit particulate matter into the surrounding environment due to friction, and these particulate emissions have a significant impact on human health. However, research on the correlation between the current-carrying friction of carbon contact strips and particulate matter emission characteristics is rarely reported. Based on a semi-enclosed pin-on-disc current-carrying friction and wear test rig, this paper investigates the effects of varying current intensity under different contact load conditions on the friction and wear performance of carbon/copper pairs, as well as the associated particulate matter emission behavior. It reveals the damage characteristics of carbon contact strips, the particulate matter emission characteristics, and the relationship between them under different service conditions. The results indicate that the wear mechanism and particulate matter emission behavior of carbon contact strips are jointly influenced by current magnitude and contact load. In the absence of current, increasing the load exacerbates the mechanical wear on the carbon friction pair surface, while elevating the emission concentration of particles of various sizes and stabilizing the particle size distribution. Under current-carrying conditions, a higher contact load effectively reduces the frequency of arc discharges between the friction pair. Meanwhile, the degree of arc erosion on the contact surface worsens with increasing current intensity. Arc discharges instantaneously lead to a sharp increase in particulate emissions, and the higher the discharge intensity or the greater the number of discharges, the higher the particulate concentration around the contact pair.