Comparative investigation into the friction and wear behaviours of a Cu-Ag contact wire/carbon strip and a pure copper contact wire/carbon strip at high speeds

Several experimental tests are conducted on a high-speed block-on-ring tester to study friction and wear behaviours of a Cu-Ag contact wire and a pure copper contact wire rubbing against a carbon strip with electric current. The test parameters are set as follows: electric current 0-250 A, sliding speed 110-170 km/h and normal load 50-130 N. The friction coefficient, wear volume and arc discharge energy are analyzed. The experimental results show that the friction coefficient of the carbon strip/Cu-Ag alloy contact wire is larger than that of the carbon strip/pure copper contact wire, and that the wear rate of the carbon strip which rubbed against the Cu-Ag alloy contact wire is larger than that of the carbon strip which rubbed against the pure copper contact wire. Discussion is presented to explain the friction and wear behaviours.