With all the experience gained from various measurements for public transport companies,
we have never stopped improving our measurement systems. Our customers’ ideas have
always been a valuable help.  We have used our contact wire position and shock system
as service provider very successfully since 1998 and sold it to several customers.  

Intended purpose

DTK’s measuring system is used for :

• acceptance tests of new overhead lines
• regular reviews of the condition and operational performance of current collecting systems.
• the detection of defects in current collecting systems, e.g. to avoid carbon strip damage.

The measurement results make it possible to identify critical areas along the overhead wire network in a comfortable and reliable way in order to repair defects and to improve the interaction between overhead wire and pantograph while taking the specific track condition and vehicle characteristics into account.

During a measurement run DTK’s system records the following parameters:

• overhead wire’s lateral position (stagger),
• overhead wire’s height
• shocks between contact strips and overhead wire
• vehicle speed
• current drawn or returned by each contact strip
• contact force between overhead wire and contact strips
• waypoints.
• Moreover a video camera is focussed on the pantograph to record its interaction with the overhead wire. This film is stored on HDD and synchronized with the data and waypoints.  

Benefits DTK’s measuring system has several decisive advantages in comparison to traditional reviewing methods:

It can be fitted to any train
Its mounting lasts for 2 to 3 hours
The measurement is performed under real charge conditions and at normal speed, i.e.: 

• it does not disturb normal traffic
• the measurement results include the dynamic characteristics of pantograph and vehicle as well as the influence of the track substructure
• it makes it possible to analyze and compare the specific characteristics of various vehicle types.  
• The data are utterly reliable:
• Data recording, processing and storage are performed automatically
• DTK system excludes most of the sources of errors that could be made while using partially manual methods.
• DTK methods ensure a high security level:
• The stagger measurement is performed contactless.
• All data are transmitted to the on-board computers via fibre optics, i.e. in potential-free way.
• Already during the measurement run, customers get a live feeling of their overhead wire system’s condition, as all data are processed right away and displayed as graphs on PC screens along with the video films.
• Our software allows for convenient analysis functions to interpret the data:
• Basically all data are displayed as graphs.
• The graph of any parameter can be turned on and off and displayed in any combination with others.
• It is possible to zoom the scales to analyze particular route sections in detail.
• Limit values can be set for some parameters (e.g. stagger), which makes it very easy to see critical  sections along the route in the graphs.
• The waypoints that were recorded during the measurement run also facilitate the identification of route sections during the data analysis. Any waypoint can include a vocal comment.
• Thanks to the extensive software analysis functions, DTK’s measurement allows for further conclusions as far as the dynamic characteristics of pantograph and vehicle are concerned.   

For further information please read our articles from the magazine "Verkehr und Technik" 5/99, 8/00, 9/00.