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Department of Electrical Engineering

Continuous gauging of electric traction contact wire

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

In this system the electric traction overhead contact wire wear is continuously measured. A GaAs LED and lens combination produces a collimated beam of light along the pantograph pan. The beam, through which the contact wire slides, is monitored by a vertical array of phototransistors spaced at equal intervals. The number of phototransistors in shadow at any instant is proportional to the contact wire thickness. A fibre-optic data link conveys the encoded information from the pan at high tension to the locomotive at ground potential.

Degree

thesis:*
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
Department of Electrical Engineering
Year dc:date.issued
1975

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Timm, Anthony Rex
Advisors dc:contributor.advisor
  • Besseling, Johann L N
  • Van Nierop, J H

Rights

Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12432
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12432

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Cape Town
Base URL
open.uct.ac.za/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Timm, Anthony Rex. Continuous gauging of electric traction contact wire. Department of Electrical Engineering, 1975. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12432