Measures are required to mitigate increased wear of Shinkansen pantograph contact strips resulting from increased collecting current incidental to ever-higher speeds and a reduced number of pantographs, as well as to reduce environmental loads. Accordingly, the RTRI adopted state-of-the-art solid lubrication technology and developed a sintered metal contact strip for Shinkansen trains using the latest lubrication materials, such as metallic sulfide and bismuth. These contact strips have been in practical use for all train sets on some Shinkansen lines (with a maximum commercial speed of 275 km/h) since fiscal 2007.

As a further development, the RTRI carried out running tests to evaluate wear characteristics at even higher speeds. It was confirmed that the strips can be used without abnormal wear even in high-speed running at maximum speeds beyond 275 km/h, and that wear resistance is equivalent to or greater than that of the currently available material (Fig. 1). Additionally, to enable application in through-operation between Shinkansen and conventional lines, the RTRI investigated wear characteristics in conventional-line sections by test-mounting the sintered metal contact strips for Shinkansen trains using the new lubrication material for such through-operation. The results confirmed that the wear characteristics of the strips (Fig. 2) and their influence on contact wire are in the same order as those of currently available contact strips.

From these findings, the RTRI verified that the sintered metal contact strips for Shinkansen trains using new lubrication materials are also practicable for high-speed running at maximum speeds of 275 km/h or over for through-operation between Shinkansen and conventional-line sections.