Articles
Sensors company TE Connectivity has opened an in-house rail high-voltage test centre in Swindon able to better reproduce harsh real-world operating conditions experienced by rolling stock.
The facility has been created to carry out electrical and mechanical tests on high-voltage rail products, particularly the roofline systems that provide the electrical connection between the overhead catenary wires and the transformers that supply the power for traction and other on-board loads.
Dr Elizabeth Da Silva Domingues, high-voltage development engineering manager at TE Connectivity, said: “Our new facility tests rail products under a harsh regime of electrical, mechanical, thermal and environmental tests to reproduce real-world operating conditions.
“It’s important for the customer to know how long their product is going to last. For them failures aren’t an option. Our testing facility enables us to give predicted shelf lives of products so they know when they need changing.
“They’re not asking for a product that lasts 30 years but, with the extreme conditions of rail, they want to make sure their trains don’t stop in the middle of nowhere in –40°.”
Previously, most of the testing was carried out at external facilities, which was costly, time-consuming and inefficient.
Da Silva Domingues said: “The key benefit is that we can reduce the time to market by around 30% as well as provide a faster response to customer needs.”
The rail high-voltage test centre enables TE Connectivity to carry out all the independent checks that provide the evidence that the product will perform to its intended purpose.
Da Silva Domingues added: “These tests include verification – to check that the product meets a set of initial design requirements or specifications; validation – assurance that the product meets the needs of the customer’s requirements or specifications; and qualification – a formally designed series of tests for the functional, environmental and reliability performance sign-off by the customer.”