Issue: contact wire wearing under splice

Risk: main overhead contact wire failure, dewirement, damage to rolling stock, infrastructure with health and safety of personnel at risk

Value: early intervention and prevention of dewirement from pantograph catching tension wire

Event Description:

Electrified overhead wiring networks are comprised of many lengths of cable that are joined or spliced together by clamps. Over time, through use and wear, clamps can work loose and cables may become kinked. This can result in abnormal wear rate of the contact wire. The network maintainer has been able to precisely identify when the contact wire has become kinked and show accelerated wear to the overhead line and rollingstock pantographs. As such, an infrastructure failure is prevented through early and precise fault detection.

Issue: incorrect catenary tension wire height

Risk: dewirement, physical danger, reputation damage, extended service delays and damage to pantograph

Value: early intervention and prevention of dewirement from pantograph catching tension wire

Event Description:

An overhead catenary system has several supporting features, including wires to tension the main contact line. In this instance, a tension wire is set too low for the network, causing a severe impact, damaging the carbon contact strip, applying excessive force and catching on the pantograph horn as the vehicle passes through the location. In this situation the operator is able to precisely diagnose the cause of impact and schedule emergency repairs prior to an overhead line dewirement.

Issue: intersection joiner set incorrectly

Risk: impact damage to pantograph and infrastructure, heat damage to carbon contact, damage to multiple rollingstock, service downtime for emergency repairs

Value: identification of defective infrastructure and ability to improve maintenance procedures

Description:

Intersection of wire infrastructure set at incorrect height and level causing loss of electrical contact, impact and significant arcing across the main overhead wire and pantograph contact, producing excessive heat. This alert details the effect of a defective intersection on infrastructure and demonstrates the importance of correctly set wire heights and tension. As a function of this data, the stakeholder is enabled to perform maintenance at this location and validate the works performed.

Issue: dropper wires maintaining height of overhead wire broken

Risk: dewirement from wire debris, impact damage to pantograph and catenary, service downtime for emergency repairs, safety of operator staff and passengers

Value: early identification of broken dropper wires prevents a dangerous event with expensive emergency repairs and service downtime

Description:

Three dropper wires required to set the height of the main overhead contact wire were broken, with features at risk of entanglement in the pantograph through a high-speed section of commuter network (117kmph/72mph). With this alert the operator can prevent a major dewirement, preventing a dangerous incident and high cost emergency repairs. Post verification testing can be carried out after remediation activity performed to confirm the repairs carried out.

Issue: cross over lead-in wire set at incorrect height

Risk: impact damage to pantograph and horn, infrastructure failure at section joiner, service downtime for emergency repairs

Value: early identification of introduced defects and ability to validate and improve maintenance procedures

Description:

Lead-in wire set at incorrect height on a cross-over line causing contact over pantograph horn, loss of main overhead electrical contact, impact arcing across all electrical overhead lines and pantograph carbon impact damage. This alert emphasizes how a lead-in wire set at the incorrect height impacts infrastructure and rollingstock. In this instance, the defect has been introduced and an alert generated at the location on the same day. With this data, including a historical log at this site, the operator can schedule maintenance and monitor the location before and after repairs are carried out.