Influence of different arc erosion durations on the wear properties of carbon skateboards/contact wires under low temperature

The probability of arc erosion occurring is greatly increased with the continuous rapid development of high-speed railways, especially when the contact wires are covered with ice due to a cold climate environment. In this study, the wear properties of two kinds of carbon skateboards (copper-impregnated and pure carbon skateboard) with different surface treatments by arc erosion were investigated under rigid temperature environmental conditions by a friction tester. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry were used to analyse the surface morphology and composition of the wear scar at the erosion interface, which contributed to identifying its damage characteristics and wear mechanism. The results show that the coefficient of friction of the copper-impregnated carbon skateboard varied from 0.034 to 0.1, while that of the pure carbon skateboard ranged from 0.031 to 0.088. Both were positively correlated with the arc erosion duration. The contact resistance of the contact pair increases with a gradual extension of the arc erosion duration. A comparison of the coefficient of friction and contact resistance, and wear rate shown that the wear properties of the two carbon skateboards are significantly different due to different arc erosion durations, and the evolution law of the wear mechanism during sliding wear is discussed. •Analyzing the wear mechanism of two contact pairs after arc erosion durations.•The surface damage morphology after arc erosion were analysed.•ECR and COF of contact pair are positively correlated with arc erosion durations.•Comparing the wear rate of tested contact pairs with arc erosion durations.