Pantograph Contact strips

Lately, Mersen has developed several grades specifically for high current applications, following the increase of current demand of the DC trains. This development was made possible by Mersen’s participation to the 2007 world rail speed record; the French high-speed train was powered through a single Mersen’s pantograph carbon strip.

Mersen's innovation at the heart of today and tomorrow’s rail mobility

Mersen has developed a wide range of carbon grades to meet even the most demanding operating conditions, in particular since the current to be collected in DC applications has become higher and higher. In order to keep a low temperature behaviour of the contact strip and the catenary wire, Mersen engineered new grades optimizing the copper impregnation to get outstanding performances while keeping a low weight.

Working with universities and laboratories, Mersen created the P2805 and P3210, which are the leading grades in their categories, offering remarkable performances for such demanding applications and respecting the infrastructure. Operators all over the world take advantage of the low wear rate of these grades as well as the low temperatures in use at standstill and when moving, reducing the need for maintenance.

These grades are available for DC and AC applications as well and are TSI-compliant.