A comparative investigation into the material matching performance of different friction pairs under current-carrying friction

Current collector-third rail systems are often used for power transmission in intercity rail trains. To improve the material matching performance of carbon skateboard/contact rails, three different contact pairs (powder metallurgy carbon skateboard/stainless steel, copper-impregnated carbon skateboard/stainless steel and copper-impregnated carbon skateboard/tin bronze) were used to investigate current-carrying friction performance. The results indicated that the contact resistance and friction coefficient of the copper-base powder metallurgy/stainless steel contacts consistently remained at low and stable values under different currents, while the contact resistance and friction coefficient of the copper-impregnated/stainless steel and copper-impregnated/tin bronze contact pairs were more sensitive to increased currents. According to the tribological analysis, the wear mechanisms of the three contact pairs were mainly abrasive wear, oxidative wear and adhesive wear.