Abstract
Fire or electrical problem while DC electric traction vehicle operation caused by various reasons can lead to not only suspension of the operation, but also severe aftermath such as massive casualty. In this paper, fire analysis on DC electric traction vehicle caused by electrical breakdown on line breaker, which is in connection with the power supply, is presented. When the electric arc, the by-product of frequent line breaker operation, is not fully diminished, it leads to electrical breakdown and fire. Especially, electrical breakdown can be easily induced by the open-and-close operation of inner contractor inside line breaker, eventually followed by ground fault and generation of transient current. Electric arc is consequent on the ground fault and acts as possible ignition source, leading to fire. Also, during the repetitive operation of the line breaker, the contactor is separated each other and some copper powder is generated, and the copper powder provided breakdown path, resulting in fire.