Keep contact wire wear under control
Non-contact residual thickness measurement
What is Plasser CatenaryWear?
Plasser CatenaryWear is a modular, non-contact system for measuring contact wire wear and residual thickness. Based on optical technologies, it supports both indirect measurement with highresolution line-scan cameras and LED illumination, and direct profile measurement using laser triangulation. The system provides accurate and localized wear information to support maintenance planning and help prevent current collection issues, pantograph carbon strip wear, and infrastructure damage.
Benefits
- Accurate early-stage wear detection
- Enhanced long-term maintenance planning
- Optimized contact wire replacement
- Reduced need for manual inspections
- Improved insight into catenary condition
- Unattended monitoring
Dual wear measuring technology
Plasser CatenaryWear can be configured with camera-and-LED or laser profilometry technology. The camera-and-LED solution estimates wear from the worn flat width and relies on overhead contact line geometry data for wire height and stagger. Laser profilometry directly reconstructs the wire profile, allowing for asymmetric wear assessment and application to rigid overhead contact lines.
Accurate residual thickness monitoring
The system measures contact wire wear and calculates residual thickness with precise localization along the track. Wear data can be displayed in real time and compared with user-defined thresholds to highlight critical sections. This supports condition-based maintenance decisions and helps identify localized weak points before they develop into service-impacting failures.
Designed for dynamic inspection
Plasser CatenaryWear is designed for vehicle-based, non-contact inspection of the overhead contact line. High-resolution cameras with LED illumination or laser-based profilometry enable high-accuracy measurements while reducing the need for operators to access the overhead contact line. The system supports continuous monitoring on
inspection vehicles, maintenance vehicles, wagons, and passenger trains.
Integrated overhead contact line diagnostics
Collected data can be combined with contact wire geometry, stagger, height, and visual inspection data to provide a more complete view of overhead contact line condition. The modular architecture allows Plasser CatenaryWear to operate as a dedicated measuring system or as part of an integrated diagnostics package.
