The overhead conductor rail (OCR) is a crucial power supply device for electrified trains, primarily used in urban rail transit and tunnel railways in mountainous areas. As the operating speed increases continuously, the current collection quality of the OCR - pantograph system faces severe challenges. Therefore, it is necessary to study the factors that restrict the operating speed of the OCR system.
Wave propagation phenomena exist in the OCR system, and these phenomena may severely impact the current collection quality under high - speed operation conditions, a topic that has not been addressed in previous studies. A finite - element model of the OCR is established, and a computational method for simulating wave propagation behavior is proposed. The wave propagation process is extracted, and the propagation speed is measured based on simulations. Subsequently, a series of physical experiments are conducted to verify the measured wave propagation speed. Finally, the limitations imposed by wave propagation on the operating speed of OCR are analyzed, and the measures to increase the wave propagation speed are investigated.