All about a contact network

Photo of contact network

(Spacial thanks to Charlie Bartholomew PE  for English translation).

  Hi dear visitor! If you read these lines, it means you were lucky. For you, the perfect opportunity has appeared to expand the outlook, to receive answers to questions, and also to carry out with me some unforgettable hours. Therefore take seat more conveniently in a deep armchair, take a cup of coffee with liquor, with beer, at the worst with cognac, knee-cap of tea with tonic or kvasa with milk, in general, everything, that it is pleasant to you.

Shortly about himself:

Surname: Klochko
Name Andrej Vjacheslavovich
patronymic: John
Sex: strong
Character: nasty
Outlook: are absent
Political sights: none
Marital status: I do not complain
Trade: senior electrician, Lviv branch
Hobby:

I shall not tell

Like and everything, and now as a matter of fact...

  This page is addressed first of all to the one whom already has ceased to satisfy senseless contemplation infinite trick netting of wires, which can be seen on the majority of railways, for those readers, who has concept about an electrical current, property of metals to spend it etc., t .е. Past, as the battle christening is spoken. I hope, as the professionals can find for themselves some grains of truth here.

The speech here will go mainly about a contact suspension bracket supporting devices, and about all volume, that is connected to it. Therefore, I want to warn you beforehand, that a contact network - piece serious and us more than once it is necessary to be immersed in abysses wise of concepts and terms. Nevertheless, from the party I promise to make these immersing not too dizzy, having softened, whenever possible, severe necessity by entertaining examples. Probably, you are confused a little only it is the read lines, but, good beginning is the half of the battle, so is recollected by the first steps in an electricity.

So, that the unit on an electrical current could smoothly work a constant input of electrical current to it is necessary. " Well this is natural " - you will say - " that here complex - has stretched two wires, and business with the end ". Yes, it so, but only in the event that this device stands on one place, or the trolley bus moves with small speed, for example. In addition, imagine, snow, rain, wind reaching 120 kms / hr, and you, in the warm car, penetrate space with speed exceeding a wind. How do you like it?

So, that it became possible and this web from wires under the name "a contact network" serves.

With help of contact network an electrical current from substation reaches engines of an electric locomotive, which pulls you forward. If you were in time to notice, electric locomotive, moving, it slides, as a toboggan, on tense as a string to a wire, which refers to as: " a contact wire ", t .е. it provides continuous contact for the passing of an electrical current between the surface and current by the receiver (toboggan) on which I drew your attention to.

Above a contact wire, another wire is located by which bottom contact wire fastens. Due to the functions (to bear on itself mechanical loading), that top wire has received the name: "carrier cable". But, you will notice, if a contact wire and carrier cable are connected together, how, the current which has arrived on an electric locomotive, comes back on substation, may be through ground?

"Is not present!" - I shall answer to you, electrical current, pass off through engines, and having executed the task, moves on... Rails, yes, yes, on those rails, on which you so frequently go, and through them comes back to the substation. But were on the railway you should be afraid of a train, which will strike to you in a back, instead of current running on rails.

The rails had the best conductivity, on joints (places of connection a rail) their (joints) shunt (bridge) copper connection (fig. 1)

track circuit

Contact wire and carrier cable of one party and the rails with another form two "wires" through which substation transfers energy to rushing locomotives. Three above named components: contact wire, carrier cable and rails under the common name: " traction  network ", however at once make a reservation, that in concept " traction network " enters much more than components, but nevertheless beginning is necessary.

The contact wire fastens to a carrier cable with the help link of strings (fig. 2), which have received the name because of the design: each string consists of two-three parts (why and for what it is made find out below).

Contact network string

In addition, here, I feel, at you the question arises:.

- Hа! So if the contact wire is adhered to carrier by means of a usual wire, how then current receiver rushing with speed 140 kms / hr, does not sweep away on way those "units", which were imposed by the assemblers during electrification to attach a contact wire to a string?

The answer here such: the contact wire has the very artful form cross-section (fig. 3) similar on figure of eight. Due to such form of section, fastening of a contact wire to a string, through a special clip (fig. 4) business of several seconds, and current the receiver, passing under this clip, does not touch it. Make a contact wire from special cold-drawn copper, which depending on the area of cross section is marked so: (МФ) MF -XXX... Copper, shaped, cross section XXX mm2 (МФО) MFO -YYY... Copper, shaped, oval, cross-section YYY mm2.

 Contact wire section

Recently, in connection with shortage of color metals, their high prices, will carry out development of essentially new types of  contact wires: facilitated, with increased conductivity, less subject to deterioration, in which another theme practically is not used copper in the pure state. Therefore, having met in the literature other marks of contact wires, for example: NLoM, BrOM etc. - I shall ask to not throw in me by rotten tomatoes.

What have got tired? I yes, therefore we shall distract from a contact network and we shall listen we shall read a joke on a railway theme:

On one of stations of Ukraine, the passenger expects a train, but the train is late, and the passenger goes to the chief of station to learn the reason.
- Now train will be, - the chief calms.
- I already saw at station a dog engine driver. 8-)

Still, whether you know
that:
- If legs from shoulder, the head on them is not necessary;
- It is impossible to resist against the woman, which lays;
- In deep decollete it is difficult to see soul;
- Advice the spouses to the appeal will not lie down.
Have had a rest and again in a way.

Now about a carrier cable. It make from copper or bimetal delays, which in a consequence braid in burn of the certain section. The cross section of a bearing cable is shown in figure 5.

Carrier cable section (bimetal)

How you think, can you make such? To answer this question we shall carry out an experiment. Take cotton, usual thread, with which sews buttons and try to tear it. The truth - easily has torn. Now cut twenty such pieces braid them and try again to tear. See, nothing has happened. The truth you see speak: " One in a field is not a warrior - iust peasant ".

So, for maintenance of flexibility, durability and economy of metal a bearing cable and interlace from several tens of thin wire.

Somewhere I already heard such word of "bimetal", you thought, that I should not remember it. There is nothing easier - bimetal wire - it wire, made not from one, but from two metals, the steel with copper or steel with aluminum is more often. Inside a wire there is a steel core, on which the environment from other metal is put to one of possible ways. Such wire, losing in wiring of unit of percent, gets durability of 100-200 %.

The bearing cable is marked so: PBSM-XX a wire of bimetallic, steel copper, cross section XX mm2, M -YY copper, cross section YY mm2.

It most frequently used marks, which were in time well themselves to recommend on the majority of railways of Ukraine.

And end of the first lesson we shall return to a string. I shall try to answer questions: what is it made for, and what is it made from? Let's begin under the order: " what for? ".  Try for the beginning to fix a piece (about 10 meters) wire and in three
points, previously having pulled it. From the party, you will see a picture shown in a fig. 6. Correctly?

Example of contact wire tension

Now take a piece, for example, foam rubber and, concerning wires, stretch it from a point 1 up to a point 3 (see fig. 6), closely observing for experiment. At any moment, at an entrance in a zone "B"  your foam rubber will come off wires, and in a zone "C" again will adjoin. Just you imitate movement of a current receiver on a contact wire, at absence of strings. So, moment come off and the moment of contact by a current of the receiver with a wire, if such happens, is accompanied by burning arch, that results in fast deterioration of a wire and its breaking. Therefore, wire is necessary to hang up so those
zones "B" did not become. Here also there come to the aid of strings. Try through each meter to tie up the tense wire, and you will see, that it becomes equal - equal, in which the zones "B" in practically are absent.

The string link is carried out from bimetal wire by a diameter of 4 mm, less often from kapron ropes.

Well the first lesson of a planned rate " All about a contact network " also has approached to the end. It has pleased you? Leave the offers and wishes, do not hesitate, if the questions will appear, ask - we shall answer.

Send your questions, ask - and we shall answer.
GOOD LUCK!

To what the carrier cable fastens, as the suspension bracket stretches, why a contact wire have no above an axis of a way, and much another you find out later in next article.
The author: Andrej Klochko.
Figures: Sergej Kibitkin.
Translation: Charlie Bartholomew PE (special thanks)