Technology of the Contact Wire Manufacture for High-Speed Railways

The article presents an overview of possible technological schemes to produce an overhead contact wire for railways. Pilot experiments were carried out on the manufacture of a contact wire made of CuMg0.3, CuMg0.4 and CuMg0.5 alloys and having a nominal cross section of 100 mm2. The contact wire was obtained from a continuously cast rod with small section, which was subjected to plastic deformation using the Conform technology and cold drawing of the extruded rod. In the casting process, we encountered the formation of cracks on the cast rod surface and the rods breakage. The inner surface of the graphite bushings of the mold after casting the rod was studied and a thin gray layer was found on the inner surface of the graphite bushings. Areas of the graphite bushing with gray layer were studied by scanning electron microscopy and element-by-element mapping was performed with the selection of a spectrum in the sediment layer area. In order to determine the phase composition of the sediment layer it was analyzed by the method of full-profile analysis of the X-ray diffraction pattern according to Rietveld. X-ray phase analysis showed the CuMg2 and Cu2Mg phases presence. This allowed us to assume a possible mechanism for the formation of the sediment layer. Ultimate tensile strength, elongation and electrical resistivity was determined. Analysis showed that the overhead wires made of CuMg0.3, CuMg0.4, CuMg0.5 alloys meets the requirements of GOST R 55647-2018 for wires made of the second conditional group bronze.