C. Delachaux

Andre Ruellan

The present invention relates to a suspension system for an overhead contact wire for electric traction vehicles. The system comprises, in combination, a carrier cable (15) having its mid point connected to a support and having each of its ends connected to respective conductor wire clamps. Each wire clamp comprises a jaw assembly (30) suitable for clamping to a contact wire (10) and including a generally cylindrical housing (41) fitted with inwardly directed teeth (45) on its inside surface. The housing receives an angularly adjustable link member (60) which includes an angle-determining portion (61) provided with complementary teeth and interfitting with the teeth of the housing (41). The link member (60) may be moved axially into and out from the toothed housing (41) so that it may be set in any one of a plurality of angular positions therein, thereby changing the location of a point (70) fastened to the end of the carrier cable (15) relative to the contact wire (10). The carrier cable (15) tends to pull the link member against an axial abutment thus locking it in a selected angular position, and by suitably selecting the angular position, the contact wire may be suspended vertically below the jaw assembly (30) in order to avoid interfering with vehicle pantographs, even where the contact wire is following a curved path thereby causing the plane defined by the carrier cable (15) and the contact wire (10) to be sloping at an angle from the vertical.

Growing community of inventors

Enghien les Bains, France

Andre Ruellan