Pantograph and door mechanism test bench for trams

The bench is designed for acceptance and periodic testing of tram pantographs, half-pantographs and door mechanisms after repair. Two working zones on a common base allow a current collector and a door drive to be tested in parallel with the results recorded in a single report; if required, the zones are supplied as separate benches.

In the current collector zone the pantograph is mounted on an insulated frame via its standard support insulators. A movable crossbar with a strain-gauge load cell lowers onto the contact strip and measures the static contact force at set points across the whole working height, while the controller records the raising and lowering times, the difference in contact force between raising and lowering, and the residual force in the folded position. The pneumatic and electric actuators of the collector are powered from the bench at their rated pressure and voltage.

In the door zone the leaf with its drive is fitted into a width-adjustable opening. The bench runs the opening and closing cycle, measures the travel time and the resisting force at which the anti-trap protection triggers, and performs endurance tests with a set number of cycles. Results are displayed on a touch panel and stored as a report. On the customer's request the bench is completed with a contact wire simulator for checking the seating of the contact strip, a set of adapters for pantographs of different series and a cassette for double-leaf doors.