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Simulation of Fatigue Crack Growth of a Contact Wire in a Catenary System

The role of the catenary system is to transmit the electrical energy from the energy supply point to trains. To ensure a good energy capture during the passage of a train, the pantograph applies a vertical force on the contact wire. This upward force causes a periodic bending stress which can lead to a fatigue fracture. To predict the propagation of this fatigue crack, different approaches could be considered. In this paper, the extended finite element method (XFEM), implemented in the software CASTEM developed by the Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique (CEA), to simulate the fatigue crack growth of the contact wire. The material characteristics and parameters of the Paris law were identified thanks to experimental tests performed in a laboratory of the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais (SNCF). The specimens were cut directly from the contact wire. Two mean-stress levels were considered. The stress intensity factors were calculated by finite elements method. Two geometries of crack were studied. The numerical results showed a good agreement with the experimental observations in terms of the evolution of the crack shape and its growth rate. These preliminary results show that this numerical strategy is relevant and efficient to predict the critical size and the residual life of fatigue cracks detected during maintenance operations.