1. Three technological revolutions
To better grasp and appreciate the contribution of power electronics to electric traction, it's worth going back to the origins to gauge the tremendous strides made and recall the three fundamental technological revolutions that have marked the past 200 years.
1.1 Steam
Trains were born of steam and the industrial revolution of the early 19th century. Steam was an extraordinary first revolution, because it put an end to... animal traction.
Let's not forget Richard Trevithick's little locomotive from 1804 and George Stephenson's famous "Rocket", which made its maiden voyage between Liverpool and Manchester in 1830, then flooded Europe.
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
This article is included in
Railway systems
This offer includes:
Knowledge Base
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
Services
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
Practical Path
Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills
Doc & Quiz
Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading
Three technological revolutions
Electronic switches for electric traction
Bibliography
Websites
Electrical Machines Laboratory http://lme.epfl.ch/page15864.html
Electric Traction Vol. 1, 2nd edition fully revised and expanded http://www.polymtl.ca/pub/argumentaire.php?l=fre=7616
Events
EPE European Power Electronics and Drive http://www.epe-association.org/epe/index.php
PCIM Power Conversion Intelligent Motion http://www.mesago.de/en/PCIM/main.htm
Directory
Railway equipment manufacturers
Alstom Transport http://www.transport.alstom.com
Bombardier http://www.bombardier.com
Siemens http://www.siemens.com
...
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
