To the question about wearing of contact couples elements of electric transport current devices for high speed movement

In accordance with the long-term development program of JSC Russian Railways until 2025, it is planned to increase the level of economic connectivity of the territory of Russia by expanding the network of high-speed and high-speed transportation. This involves not only the construction of new high-speed highways, but also the modernization of the structures of individual components of rolling stock, as well as the introduction of energy and resource-saving technologies. The use of contact elements with an extended service life is one of the most economical and least costly ways to ensure reliable, economical and environmentally friendly transmission of electricity to rolling stock. An increase in the service life of the current collector element can be achieved, among other things, by reducing wear by the correct selection of contact pair elements, both from the point of view of their tribocompatibility and the ability to ensure high quality current collection. A methodology for conducting experimental studies of contact pairs of current collection devices has been developed and successfully tested at OSTU, which involves bench tests for each pair of contact materials “contact insert - contact wire” in order to determine their optimal combination to reduce wear and increase resource. Estimation of the amount of wear and prediction of the life of the elements of the contact pair is carried out including using mathematical models. However, the use of existing models for predicting wear under conditions of high-speed movement is not accurate enough due to the lack of consideration of the aerodynamic effects and the speed of the rolling stock on current collection processes. This article discusses the improvement of the mechanical component of the wear model of the elements of contact pairs of current collection devices in high-speed conditions. The graphs of the mechanical wear of the contact elements are obtained experimentally and as a result of calculation by a mathematical model. The analysis of the graphs allows us to conclude that it is possible to use an improved mathematical model for modeling the mechanical component of the wear process of the elements of contact pairs with a maximum error value of not more than 5 %.