Effect of bracing stiffness on property of friction and wear with electrical current

In order to prolong the use life of frictional pair, the effect of bracing stiffness on the tribological characteristic of aluminum-stainless steel composite conductor rail and collector shoe with electrical current was studied by using the modified jig of CETR UMT-2 tester, normal forces changing with time, the wear mass losses of collector shoe specimens and the deformation energy of spring during loading and unloading process were measured, and the relation between the energy and the characteristic was analyzed.The result shows that the vibration amplitude of normal force increases with the decrease of normal force; the vibration amplitude of normal force and the wear mass loss in elastic bracing system are less than those in rigid bracing system; the larger the ratio of frictional energy to deformation energy for spring is, the stronger the ability of absorbing vibration is, the lower the vibration amplitude is, and the less the wear mass loss is.Obviously, elastic bracing decreases the vibration amplitude of normal force, and ensures better traction power supply, so the appropriate range of normal force and the rational stiffness of spring are necessary to decrease the wear mass loss induced by arc erosion, and to prolong the wear life of frictional pair.