Tribological behavior and wear mechanism of resin-matrix contact strip against copper with electrical current

The resin-matrix pantograph contact strip (RMPCS), which has excellent abrasion resistance with electrical current and friction-reducing function, was developed in view of the traditional contact strips with high maintenance cost, high wear rate with electrical current and severe damage to the copper conducting wire. The characteristics of worn surfaces, cross-section and typical elemental distributions of RMPCS were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersion spectrometry (EDS). The wear behavior and arc discharge of RMPCS against copper were investigated with self-made electrical wear tester. The results show that the electrical current plays a critical role in determining the wear behavior, and the wear rate of the RMPCS against copper with electrical current is 2.7–5.8 times higher than the value without electrical current. The wear rate of the contact strip increases with the increase of the sliding speed and electrical current density. The main wear mechanism of RMPCS against copper without electrical current is low stress grain abrasive and slightly adhesive wear, while arc erosion wear and oxidation wear are the dominate mechanism with electrical current, which is accompanied by adhesive wear during the process of wear.