EHIGHWAY. From April 12 to 22, 2021, the project will again check the functionality of the catenary system’s catenary, poles and switchgear cabinets, among other things, during regular maintenance work.

Michael Brand from the Forschungs- und Entwicklungszentrum Fachhochschule Kiel GmbH (R&D Center) is responsible for coordinating the project’s accompanying research in Schleswig-Holstein. He is using the track closure to add new measuring instruments to the track for the research partners and to check existing systems.

“The TU Dresden needs special reflectors on the overhead line so that a system for measuring wind downforce can be put into operation,” he cites one example. This is used to test whether the track system remains within the tolerances even in strong winds or gusts. This is particularly important in conjunction with the current collector of the OH trucks to ensure that the vehicles are reliably supplied with energy at all times.

This time, a system for detecting the position of the ceiling conductor rails will also be installed. On open track, the overhead contact line is routed as a so-called high chain above the roadway. In the case of low structures such as bridges, this design may mean that the clear passage height of at least 4.50 m cannot be maintained. One solution is to use overhead conductor rails in which the contact wire is not guided by a suspension cable but by an aluminum profile. “The ceiling conductor rails are slidably supported, yet they and their support influence the movement behavior of the otherwise freely suspended contact wire,” Brand explains. With the sensors now installed, the project partners want to determine for the first time over a longer period of time what effects this will have on the overall system.

A truck identification system will also be installed to log exactly when the OH truck test track is traveled. “Our research partners use this data, for example, to incorporate temporally relevant wind and weather data into their analyses,” Brand said.