NL2030886A

NL2030886A - Holder for a catenary carrier cable supporting an overhead contact wire

Info

Publication number: NL2030886A
Application number: NL2030886A
Authority: NL
Inventors: H Arts M
Original assignee: Volkerwessels Intellectuele Eigendom B V
Priority date: 2021-02-10
Filing date: 2022-02-10
Publication date: 2022-09-14
Also published as: NL2030886B1

Abstract

A holderfor a catenary carrier cable supporting a contact wire arranged for contacting a pantograph of an electrically driven vehicle, comprising: a mounting part for mounting on a structure, and a support, which is stationary with respect to the mounting part, said support being provided with two receiving elements, each adapted for attaching an end of a section of the carrier cable to the support, and positioned on opposite sides of the support and the mounting part, such that two sections ofthe carrier cable, when attached, are with their length directions in line with each other, and wherein at least one of the two receiving elements comprises a spring element, which is adapted to automatically adjust a distance between the end of a respective section of the carrier cable attached thereto and the support in response to length changes occurring in said section of the carrier cable.

Description

PS099408NL1 -1- Holder for a catenary carrier cable supporting an overhead contact wire Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder for a catenary carrier cable supporting a conductive overhead contact wire which is arranged for contacting a pantograph of an electrically driven vehicle, the holder comprising a mounting part for mounting on a support structure, and a support, which is stationary with respect to the mounting part. The support structure usually is usually a pole/mast, gantry or portal frame, which typically span across one or more tracks or railways for electrically powered vehicles to provide support for the carrier cable in a manner that allows an electrically powered vehicle to draw electrical energy from the conductive contact wire that hangs from said carrier cable while traveling below and along the contact wire. The invention further relates to an overhead contact system comprising such a holder and a method for installing such a holder. Background art

[0002] In the prior art Dutch an overhead contact system for railways, called the B1 system, is a contact line which consists of two conductive overhead contact wires, which are suspended from a carrier cable which in turn is supported by a number of spaced apart supporting rigid structures, such as poles/masts, gantries or portal frames, along a trajectory, for an electrically powered vehicle such as a train to draw electricity therefrom through one or more pantographs. The more stable the contact between wire and pantograph, the higher the velocity at which the vehicle can travel. Variations on this system are also known, which, for example, have a contact line which consists of one conductive overhead contact wire.

[0003] The conductive overhead contact wires, which normally comprise copper, expand and contract under changing temperatures. Weights are attached at the beginning and at the end of an overhead contact wire to absorb the changes in length, so that the overhead line is always tightly tensioned. In the Dutch railway system, the distance between the weights is at most 1600 meters, while the distance between the rigid structures is approximately within a range of 60m - 70m. Similar systems are implemented for trams and trolley busses and in railway systems outside the Netherlands, for which the overhead contact system may be differently dimensioned.

[0004] The weights alone are not sufficient to keep the contact wire sufficiently straight: the wire will sag in between the supporting structures. To mitigate this issue, the overhead contact wire is hung in chain suspension from the supporting structures, via droppers via the carrier cable. The carrier cable is supported by the supporting structures, forming a catenary curve in between two adjacent structures and the conductive overhead contact line is suspended from the carrier cable via droppers. When the carrier cable is under constant tension, the overhead contact wire in this chain suspension hangs almost horizontally.

[0005] Similar to the shrinking and lengthening of the overhead contact wires under changing temperatures, temperature changes also affect the length of the carrier cable and droppers. In the existing B1 system, the carrier cable has no play at the points where it is attached to the gantries, so that shrinkage of the cable causes the middle of the contact wire to rise. As a result of these

PS099408NL1 -2- length changes, the contact wire hanging from the carrier cable will move vertically, causing the height of the contact wire relative to the ground to vary.

[0006] The unstable height of the contact wire results in an increase in wear and risk of damage, for example caused by a broken pantograph pulling the overhead contact wire loose. Furthermore, due to the unstable height, the maximum speed for electrically powered vehicles with this system is limited to 140 km/h.

[0007] It is an objective of the invention to reduce temperature influences on the overhead lines in B1 systems, so that the vertical position of the contact wire for an electrically powered vehicle that makes sliding contact with the contact wire becomes more stable. Summary of the invention

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a holder for a catenary carrier cable supporting a conductive overhead contact wire which is arranged for contacting a pantograph of an electrically driven vehicle is provided. The holder comprises a mounting part for mounting on a support structure, and a support, which is stationary with respect to the mounting part, wherein the support is provided with two receiving elements, each adapted for fixedly attaching an end of an individual section of the carrier cable to the support, which two receiving elements are positioned on opposite sides of the support and of the mounting part, such that when each of the two receiving element has an individual section of the carrier cable attached thereto, the two sections of the carrier cable are with their length directions substantially in line with each other, and wherein at least one of the two receiving elements comprises a spring element, which is adapted to automatically adjust a distance between the end of a respective section of the carrier cable attached thereto and the support in response to length changes occurring in said section of the carrier cable.

[0009] The holder can thus compensate for changes in the length of the carrier cable, for example due to a change in temperature, such that when the length of the carrier cable increases, the distance between the attached end of a section of cable thereof to said holder to the support decreases automatically by a corresponding amount, such that the total length of carrier cable section and receiving elements extending between two holders is maintained substantially constant. Through the active control of the length of carrier cable, the height at which the overhead contact wire hangs is controlled and can be maintained substantially constant, e.g. within a range which allows electrically powered vehicles to safely drive at speeds above 140 km/h.

[0010] When a common spring element is used, this spring element provides a passive solution for automatically and continuously adjusting the total length of the receiving element in response to changes in length of the catenary formed between two adjacent holders. When the length of the carrier cable is shortened, for example due to temperature shrinkage, the tension in the carrier cable increases. This tension is directly transferred to the spring element, through the end of a respective carrier cable section being connected to the receiving element in which it is comprised, resulting in the spring being (further) tensioned such that the distance between the end of the carrier cable section and the support is increased. When the length of the carrier cable increases, the tensile force decreases such that the distance between the end of the carrier cable section attached to the 40 receiving element and the support is decreased. This is a relatively simple and inexpensive solution.

P8094 08NL1 -3-

[0011] Alternatively, an electronic spring element could be implemented, which is provided with a control system, adapted for sensing a change in cable tension and adjusting a length of the receiving element in response thereto.

[0012] The solution is easy to install, since it allows the full length of the carrier cable being made up of a plurality of independent carrier cable sections. When implemented in existing overhead systems, the existing carrier cable may be cut at each location where one of these holders is placed and adjacent new cable ends attached to the two receiving element of a respective holder.

[0013] After attaching individual sections of carrier cable to the two receiving elements which are positioned on opposite sides of the support, the two sections of the carrier cable are with their length directions substantially in line with each other, which is to be understood as the two sections of carrier cable being in series with one another positioned above and parallel to the track or railway for which the sections of carrier cable are supporting the conductive overhead contact wire. Since the track or railway may comprise bends, the term in-line is to be understood as comprising the longitudinal directions of adjacent sections of carrier cable being at a slight angle with respect to one another when seen in a horizontal plane, as required to follow these bends.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the spring element is a helical spring which is with a first end attached to the support and provided with an attachment element on a second end, for attaching an end of a section of the carrier cable to. As a result, the helical spring element with the attachment element forms the receiving element. This is a very simple construction, that can be easily installed and maintained. Preferably both ends of the helical spring are loops, which are with a through- opening perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the helical spring, and the attachment element is a shackle or bolted connection attached to one of the loops. The use of shackles allows attachment of the end of a carrier cable section to the holder after the holder, with helical spring, is installed on the support structure, reducing the amount of weight needing to be lifted simultaneously for installation. Preferably, the helical spring has a linear spring constant, providing for easier spring design.

[0015] In an embodiment, the support has a rectangular or triangular cross-section, which is provided with the mounting part at a side thereof and wherein the two receiving elements each have a longitudinal direction which extends in a plane that is perpendicular to the cross-section of the support. This shape is very similar to holders currently used, allowing these holders being easily substituted by holders according to the invention or being retrofitted to become holders according to the invention. The rectangular or triangular shaped cross-section, when installed onto a support structure along the trajectory, is perpendicular to the trajectory, such that the two receiving elements extend with their longitudinal direction in a plane that is parallel to the trajectory.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the helical spring has a length between 0.3 and 1.5 m, preferably between 0.5 and 1 m. Helical springs in this length range are considered to be manageable from an installation perspective, making their use preferred.

[0017] According to an embodiment, each of the two receiving elements is a helical spring. With such a holder attached at both ends of a section of the carrier cable, each spring only is required to

P8094 08NL1 -4- compensate for half of the changes in length. Thus the springs may be smaller and/or a longer section of carrier cable can be compensated for.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the support is provided with a through-opening, which extends between the opposite sides of the support and of the mounting part, and which through- opening holds a linking element having an attachment element at either end extending from the through-opening, wherein at least one of the attachment elements is attached to a first end of the at least one helical spring. The use of the linking element ensures that tensile forces of the carrier cable sections and the one or two springs, which are attached to the holder on opposite sides of the support, are directly opposite and do not result in a moment force acting in the structure. The through-opening may be a through-hole through a beam-like element, or can be a bracket-like element, which is closed on four sides to form a through-opening. Said bracket-like element could be a multi-part element, which advantageously allows the four closed sides being opened for access during installation and maintenance. The attachment element may be a simple loop to which a loop at an end of a spring is directly connected or an end of a respective carrier cable section is directly connectable. Alternatively, the attachment element may comprise a shackle via which the end of the spring is attached or the end of the carrier cable section is connectable. Preferably, at least one of the two sides of the linking element has an attachment element comprising a shackle or bolted connection, to allow the spring or carrier cable section being (re-)attached after installation of the holder within an overhead contact system, thereby improving ease of access and manageability of the holder for installation and maintenance.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the support and the mounting part form a rigid structure, such that the shape of the assembled structure formed thereby is constant throughout the operational life of the holder. As a result, any change in the length of the receiving elements with respect to the support directly and only translates to a change in total length of receiving elements and carrier cable section held between two adjacent holders, thereby improving accuracy of the provided length adjustments.

[0020] According to a second aspect of the invention, an overhead contact system for contacting a pantograph of an electrically driven vehicle is provided. The overhead contact system comprises: a plurality of support structures, spaced apart from one another at predetermined distances (d) along a trajectory, each support structure being provided with a holder; a carrier cable, being supported by the plurality of holders, hanging in catenary configuration between each of the support structures and having a length spanning a length of the trajectory; and a conductive overhead wire for contacting the pantograph, having a length spanning the length of the trajectory, the overhead contact wire being suspended from the carrier cable; wherein the carrier cable consists of a plurality of support wire sections, each of which are with a first end attached to a first of two holders and with a second end attached to a second of the two holders, with at least one ofthe first and second ends of the support wire section being attached to a respective one of the two holders via a helical spring, which is adapted to automatically adjust

P8094 08NL1 -5- a distance between the end of a respective section of the carrier cable attached thereto and the support in response to length changes occurring in said section of the carrier cable. The support structure may be a pole, a mast or a gantry. The support structures are commonly spaced apart at a distance between 50 and 100 m, with 60m being a distance commonly used in the Dutch rail system.

[0021] According to an embodiment, each of the first and second ends of a respective support wire section is attached to a respective one of the holders via a helical spring. Thus the holders to which the ends of two adjacent support wire sections are attached are provided with helical springs, extending to either side of the holder in opposite directions of the trajectory, the ends being attached to the holder via these helical springs.

[0022] According to an embodiment, the holders to which the first and second ends of a respective support wire section are attached are holders of adjacent support structures. Thus a length of the respective support wire section is substantially equal to the predetermined distance by which the support structures are spaced apart.

[0023] According to an alternative embodiment, the two holders to which the first and second ends of a respective support wire section are attached, have a third holder located there between, when seen along the trajectory, said third holder supporting the support wire section such that two catenary curves are formed by the support wire section. The third holder may be a known holder, which clamps onto the carrier cable section at an approximate centre, fixingly holding said centre at a predetermined height at the location of a support structure to which the holder is attached, such that the section forms two catenary curves. When converting an existing overhead contact system to be an overhead contact system according to the invention, the arrangement of the carrier cable and holders only needs to be adjusted every other support structure, making the conversion faster to implement. As a result, only one of the two holders holding an end of the catenary curve can compensate for length changes of that cable section, requiring a spring element of double the length being used as compared to when both ends of that catenary curve would be attached via a spring element,

[0024] According to a further embodiment, each of the two holders comprises a linking element, which is with a longitudinal direction extending parallel to the trajectory and provided with an attachment element at either longitudinal end, which attachment elements are each attached to an end of a helical spring, said end of the helical spring being opposite from an end to which the end of a respective support wire section is attached, and/or the end of a respective support wire section. The linking element ensures adjacent support wire sections are connected to the holder on directly opposite sides thereof, seen along the trajectory. As a result, forces exerted onto the holder, during use, are substantially equal and opposite, allowing the vertically extending holders being of relatively simple construction without requiring additional support or strengthening to maintain position.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the overhead contact system further comprises an electrical connection wire at each of the two holders, the ends of the electrical connection wire each being 40 conductively connected to a respective end of the support wire sections attached to said holder and

PS099408NL1 -6- being adapted for conducting power between the adjacent support wire sections. The electrical connection wires ensures sufficient power is transmitted throughout all support wire sections, such that the whole carrier cable is powered. Thus holders, helical springs and/or linking elements are not required to be conductive. Preferably, the electrical connection wires are copper wires, which are known to conduct electricity well.

[0026] According to a third aspect of the invention a method of installing a holder according to the invention is provided, comprising the steps of: disconnecting an existing holder, which holds a carrier cable, from a gantry; sliding the existing holder which holds the carrier cable from a position in which it was mounted to the gantry towards a side of the gantry; fixedly attaching a holder according to any one of claims 1 to 8 on the gantry at the position in which the existing holder was previously mounted to the gantry; cutting the carrier cable on either side of the existing holder, thereby creating two carrier cable sections which each have a free end; and attaching each of the free ends to a respective one of the receiving elements of the holder according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Brief description of the drawings

[0027] Some embodiments of a holder according to the present invention will, by way of non- limiting example, be discussed in more detail below, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0028] Fig. 1 depicts a known configuration of an overhead contact system for electrically powered vehicles;

[0029] Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a holder according to the prior art;

[0030] Fig. 3 shows a side view of a holder according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0031] Fig. 4 shows a side view of another holder according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0032] Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a holder according to a further embodiment of the invention;

[0033] Fig. 6 and 7 respectively show a detailed side view and a detailed perspective view of a holder, providing a clearer view of a linking element thereof; and

[0034] Fig. 8 shows a detailed perspective view of a holder, providing a clearer view of an alternative linking element. Description of embodiments

[0035] Fig. 1 shows a known configuration of an overhead contact system for electrically powered vehicles, the configuration 10 is shown to have a number of poles/masts 6, a carrier cable 3, droppers 2 and a conductive overhead contact wire 1. The poles/masts 6 are spaced apart at a distance d along a trajectory or a railway track. The carrier cable 3 is supported onto each of the poles/masts 6 via a holder 5, which fixedly holds the carrier cable 8, such that the carrier cable 6 forms a catenary between each two poles/masts 6. The conductive overhead contact wire 1 is hung 40 of the carrier cable 3 through a plurality of spaced apart droppers 2 such that the conductive

P8094 08NL1 -7- overhead contact wire is substantially horizontal and hangs at a height x from a surface over which an electrically powered vehicle contacting the conductive overhead contact wire via a pantograph moves along the trajectory, said height being 5.5 m above the railway track in the Netherlands.

[0036] Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a holder as used in the B1 railway system in the Netherlands, having a mounting part 21 for mounting on a support structure, such as the gantry 6 shown in Fig. 1, a support 20 and a bracket 60, 61, 62, which is supportingly holding a carrier cable 3 and an additional power supply line 4. The support 20 has a rectangular cross-section, consisting of a U-shaped rigid structure or U-frame, having an insulator element 22 provided between the ends of the two legs of the U-shape. The mounting part 21 is rigidly attached to the U-shaped rigid structure on a side opposite from the insulator element 22 and is arranged for installing the holder 5 onto a support structure with the rectangular cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the trajectory. The bracket 60, 61, 62 is rigidly attached to the insulator 22 and consists of a lower bracket 61, an upper bracket 60 and a closing element 62, which lower and upper brackets 61, 60 together form a first through-opening, and which upper bracket 60 and closing element 62 together form a second through-opening. Both through-openings are perpendicular to the rectangular cross- section of the support 20, such that, when the holder 5 is installed, the through-openings are parallel to the trajectory. A continuous length of overhead carrier cable 3 is run through the first through- opening of a plurality of holders 5 installed along the trajectory. The through-openings are such that a clamping of the carrier cable 3 is achieved therein, constraining the position of the carrier cable 3 in directions parallel to the rectangular cross-section of the support 20 as well as preventing movement perpendicular to said cross-section. Similarly, the additional power supply line 4 is run through the second through-opening of a plurality of holders 5 along the trajectory. This additional power supply line 4 is optionally included in the overhead system, for ensuring sufficient power is transmitted to the overhead contact wire along the entire length of the trajectory and/or providing additional strength.

[0037] Fig. 3 shows a side view of a holder 15 according to an embodiment of the invention, which holder 15 differs from the known holder 5 depicted in Fig. 1 in that the support 20 further has two receiving elements extending from the insulator 22 to opposite sides thereof, perpendicular to the rectangular cross-section of the support 20, and an electrical connection wire 13. The carrier cable consists of a plurality of independent carrier cable sections 3’, of which one is with a first section end 3a’ attached to a distal end of a first of the receiving elements and a second section end 3b’ is attached to a distal end of a second of the receiving elements. The receiving elements as depicted in Fig. 3 consist of a linking element 30 and a helical spring 40, which helical spring 40 is with a first end connected to a second longitudinal end of the linking element 30. The linking element 30 is held in the first through-opening, formed by the lower bracket 61 and the upper bracket 60, having longitudinal ends extending on either side of the through-opening and being adapted to be constrained from moving in a direction perpendicular to the rectangular cross-section ofthe support 20 as well as parallel. The first longitudinal end of the linking element 30 and the second end of the helical spring 40 respectively form the first and second distal ends of the receiving elements to 40 which the ends of the first and second sections of carrier cable 3a’, 3b’ are attached. Although the

P8094 08NL1 -8- receiving elements may be conductive, in this embodiment an electrical connection wire 13 has been included, which is with a first end 14a connected to the first carrier cable section 3a’ and which is with a second end 14b connected to the second carrier cable 3b’, and adapted to form a conductive bridge over the holder 15 to ensure power is transmitted between both carrier cable sections.

[0038] Assuming the gantries of the overhead contact system are spaced apart by 60 m and the carrier cable has a cross-section of 70 mm? as is currently still common in the Dutch railway system, the helical spring 40 may have a length of 1m and a spring constant between 52 and 65 kN/m to provide adequate compensation for the changes in a carrier cable section spanning between two adjacent gantries. It will be obvious to the skilled person that the spring length and/or spring constant depends on the properties of the carrier cable, such as the cross-section and length, and therefore must be adjusted for each particular overhead contact system and pole/mast/gantry spacing. For the recently adapted standard for the Dutch railway system, in which the carrier cable cross-section has been increased to 150 mm?, a spring with a different spring constant and/or length will thus be required.

[0039] Fig. 4 shows a side view of another holder according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the receiving elements consist of a linking element 30 and two helical springs 40°, which helical springs 40’ are each with a first end connected to a distal end of the linking element 30, such that the linking element 30 is on either end connected to one of the springs 40’. The second ends of the helical springs 40’ each form a distal end of the receiving elements, having a respective one of the first and second section ends 3a’, 3b’ attached thereto.

[0040] When installing a holder according to Fig. 4 onto each gantry, instead of a holder according to Fig. 3, a helical spring is attached to each carrier cable section at each end, allowing springs of a shorter length being used to provide the same amount of compensation. Assuming the gantries of the overhead contact system are spaced apart by 60 m and the carrier cable has a cross-section of 70 mm2, the helical spring 40 may have a length of 0.5 m and a spring constant between 52 and 65 kN/m to provide adequate compensation.

[0041] Alternatively, the use of a 1 m spring having a spring constant between 52 and 65 kN/m allows the carrier cable section held between two springs 40’ being double in length, such that such a holder 15 is only required every other gantry, and a holder 5 as depicted in Fig. 2 may be installed on every gantry in between.

[0042] Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a holder according to a further embodiment of the invention, wherein the receiving elements are formed by two helical springs 40”, which are each with a first end directly connected to the insulator element 22 and having a respective one of the first and second section ends 3a’, 3b’ connected to a second end.

[0043] Fig. 6 and 7 respectively show a detailed side view and a detailed perspective view of a holder similar to the one shown in Fig. 4, providing a clearer view of the linking element 30’ and the connection of the springs 40’ to both longitudinal ends 31, 32 thereof. The linking element 30’ is a longitudinal closed loop, having two parallel loop sections 30a’, 30b’, which are spaced apart such 40 that a width of the closed loop, perpendicular to both loop sections 30a’, 30b’, matches an internal

P8094 08NL1 -9- width of the lower bracket 61. The longitudinal ends of the linking element 30’ are defined by lug- shaped sections 31, 32, being shaped such that they extend from the lower bracket 81 on either side. Both lug shaped sections 31, 32 are at an angle with respect to the parallel loop sections 30a’, 30b’ such that both longitudinal ends are in a plane parallel to the parallel loop sections, thereby preventing the linking element 30’ from being movable along the longitudinal direction when installed in the through-opening and providing additional clearance between the springs 40’ attached thereto and the additional power supply line which may be optionally provided and running through the second through-opening. The linking element 30’ is symmetrical, and the lug shaped sections 31, 32 are directly opposite one another. Both helical springs 40’ have a hook-shaped part or loop 40a’ at an end, extending in a longitudinal direction of the spring. In the holder as depicted, a first of the springs 40’ is with its loop 40a’ looped around the first lug shaped section 31, while the second spring 40’ is with its loop 40a’ attached to the second lug shaped section 32 via a shackle

35. The shackle allows for the spring 40’ being (re-)attached after installation of the holder, allowing the spring 40’ for example being attached to the carrier cable section first in order to make installation of the system easier.

[0044] Fig. 8 shows a detailed perspective view of a holder, providing a clearer view of a linking element 30” which is an alternative to the element depicted in Figs. 6 and 7. From this perspective, it can be seen that the lower bracket 61 comprises two longitudinal guiding trenches in an inner bottom surface, extending along the length of the bracket. The linking element 30" comprises a single longitudinal central section, which is received in one of the two longitudinal guiding trenches, and is provided with a lug or hook shaped section 31’, 32’ at either longitudinal end extending from the bracket at either side. The hook shaped sections 31°, 32’ constrain movement in the longitudinal direction of the linking element 30” in the bracket 61.

[0045] The present invention has been described above with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments as shown in the drawings. Modifications and alternative implementations of some parts or elements are possible, and are included in the scope of protection as defined in the appended claims. For example, shackles may also be used for connecting the other spring to the linking element and/or for connecting ends of the carrier cable sections to the receiving elements. Furthermore, the support may have a different shape, such as, for example, a single arm, a double U-profile or a truss structure.

Claims

Claims 1 Holder for an overhead line carrying cable for supporting a conductive overhead contact wire adapted to contact a pantograph of an electrically powered vehicle, the holder comprising: an assembly component for mounting on a support structure, and a load-bearing member stationary with respect to the part to be mounted, the load-bearing member being provided with two receiving members, each adapted to fixedly attach an end of an individual portion of the load-bearing cable to the load-bearing part, the two receiving elements being placed on opposite sides of the load-bearing part and of the part to be mounted, such that when an individual portion of the load-bearing cable is attached to each of the two receiving elements, the two parts of the carrying cable with their longitudinal directions in mind case are aligned with each other, and at least one of the two receiving elements comprises a spring element adapted to automatically adjust a distance between the end of a respective portion of the supporting cable attached thereto and the supporting member, in response to changes in length occurring in that portion of the carrying cable.

2. Container according to claim 1, wherein the spring element is a helical spring which is attached with a first end to the support member and which is provided with an attachment element at a second end for attaching an end of a portion of the support cable thereto. .

A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the helical spring has a linear spring constant.

A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the supporting member has a rectangular or triangular cross-section, provided with the component to be mounted on one side thereof, and the two receiving members each have a longitudinal direction extending in a plane which perpendicular to the cross-section of the bearing member.

A container according to any one of claims 2 - 4, wherein the helical spring has a length between 0.3 and 1.5 m, preferably between 0.5 and 1 m.

A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the two receiving elements is a spiral spring.

7. Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the supporting part is provided with a through opening, which extends between the opposite sides of the supporting part and of the part to be mounted, and wherein the through opening comprises a coupling element which is provided with a fastener at each end extending from the through opening, at least one of the fasteners being attached to a first end of the at least one helical spring.

A container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the supporting part and the part to be mounted form a rigid structure.

9 Overhead contact wire system for contacting a pantograph of an electrically powered vehicle, the system comprising: a plurality of supporting structures, spaced apart at predetermined distances (d) along a trajectory, wherein each support structure is provided with a container; a carrier cable, supported by the plurality of holders, suspended in an overhead line configuration between each of the support structures and having a length spanning a length of the track; and a conductive overhead contact wire for contacting the pantograph having a length spanning the length of the track, the overhead contact wire being suspended from the carrying cable; the carrying cable comprising a plurality of sections of supporting wire, each of which is attached at a first end to a first of two receptacles and attached at a second end to a second one of the two receptacles, at least one of the first and second ends of the section of supporting wire is attached to a respective one of the two holders, by means of a helical spring adapted to automatically adjust a distance between the end of a respective section of the supporting cable attached thereto and the carrying member, in response to changes in length occurring in that section of the carrying cable.

An overhead contact wire system according to claim 9, wherein each of the first and second ends of a respective section of support wire is attached to a respective one of the holders by means of a helical spring.

An overhead contact wire system according to either of claims 9 or 10, wherein the receptacles to which the first and second ends of a respective section of supporting wire are attached are receptacles of adjacent supporting structures.

An overhead contact wire system according to claim 10, wherein the two receptacles to which the first and second ends of a respective section of supporting wire are attached are provided with a third receptacle disposed therebetween when viewed along the trajectory, said third holder supports the section of supporting wire in such a way that two bends in the catenary are formed by the section of supporting wire.

An overhead contact wire system according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein each of the two holders comprises a coupling member extending longitudinally parallel to the track and having a fastening member at each of its longitudinal ends , the fasteners each being attached to one end of a helical spring, and that end of the helical spring being opposite an end to which is attached the end of a respective section of supporting wire, and/or the end of a respective section of supporting wire thread.

An overhead contact wire system according to any one of claims 8 to 12, further comprising an electrical connection wire at each of the two receptacles, the ends of the electrical connection wire each being conductively connected to a respective end of the sections of supporting wire attached to said holder and adapted to conduct power between the adjacent sections of supporting wire.

A method of installing a receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 8 in an overhead contact wire system to contact a pantograph of an electrically powered vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: closing an existing holder, holding a carrying cable, of an overhead line gantry; sliding the existing holder holding the carrying cable from a position in which it was mounted to the catenary gantry toward one side of the catenary gantry; fixedly attaching a holder according to any one of claims 1 - 8 to the catenary portal, at the position in which the existing holder was previously mounted on the catenary portal; cutting the carrying cable on both sides of the existing container, creating two sections of carrying cable, each having a free end; and attaching each of the free ends to a respective one of the receiving elements of the container according to any one of claims 1-8.