This paper aims to provide an overview of the present status of research in pantograph–overhead line interaction and to outline future research challenges. A review of currently used modelling and simulation approaches is provided, also including hybrid simulation, and emerging trends are outlined. Then, line testing methods for the certification of pantographs and catenaries are described and the limitations of measuring methods now in use are highlighted. Issues related to the reliability and availability of the pantograph–overhead line system and to life-cycle costs are then covered in the paper, particularly concerning wear and other damage phenomena and condition monitoring solutions enabling the efficient maintenance of the system. Pantograph aerodynamics and active control of pantographs are finally identified as two emerging trends of research. For both subjects, a review of problems currently at stake and of future research directions is provided.

Some aspects about the influence on the current collection of the aerodynamic action on a pantograph, due to the incoming flow generated by train speed are investigated considering pantograph–catenary dynamic interaction. Starting from the quasi-steady theory formulation of the drag and lift forces on the collectors, and considering the turbulence of the incoming flow, the dynamic variation of the contact force between pantograph and catenary is taken into account, within an already developed simulation model. Aerodynamic coefficients of the collectors are obtained from wind tunnel measurements, and the aerodynamic forces are applied to the collectors of the pantograph. The interrelation among the geometry of the collector suspension, the collector shape, and the level of the incoming wind turbulence, and their effect on the contact force, are all considered in this article by means of numerical simulation. Results concerning the advantage of modifying the shape of the collector are outlined.

Damage identification and localization in railway bridges is a widely studied topic. Strain, displacement, or acceleration sensors installed on the bridge structure are normally used to detect changes in the global behavior of the structure, whereas approaches like ultra-sonic testing, acoustic emission, and magnetic inspection are used to check a small portion of structure near localized damage. The aim of this paper is to explore another perspective for monitoring the structural status of railway bridges, i.e., to detect structural damage from the dynamic response of the train transiting the bridge. This approach can successfully be implemented in the case of resonant bridges, thanks to the high level of acceleration generated, but its application becomes more challenging when the excitation frequencies due to train passage do not excite the first mode of vibration of the bridge. The paper investigates the feasibility of the method in the latter case, through numerical simulations of the complete train-track-bridge system. Accelerations on axleboxes and bogies are processed through suitable algorithms to detect differences arising when the train crosses a defective bridge or a healthy one. The results outline the main operational parameters affecting the method, the best placement for sensors, and the best frequency range to be considered in the signal processing, also addressing the issues that are related to track irregularity. Good performance can be achieved in the case of short bridges, but a few practical issues must be tackled before the method could be tested in practice.

SUMMARY The main features of a procedure for the prediction of the wear of contact wire in overhead equipment for railway traction is presented. The procedure is based on the simulation of pantograph-catenary dynamic interaction, coupled with a wear model of the contact wire. The wear model takes into account, in a first approximation, the electrical and mechanical contribution to wear, generating a worn contact wire profile, introduced as wire irregularity for subsequent simulations. In this way, it is possible to follow the evolution of wear, considering each simulation representative of a given number of pantograph passages.