Electrical Tree Growth in Silicone Rubber/Organo-Montmorillonite Nanocomposites under AC Ramp Voltage

This paper presents the results of the study on the electrical tree growth of organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) nanofillers in silicone rubber under ac ramp voltage of 0.5 kV per second. This study investigates the ability of OMMT to retard the growth of electrical tree in silicone rubber. Samples of silicone rubber nanocomposites (two filled with 1% and 3% OMMT respectfully while the third is unfilled silicone rubber), were used in this experimental study and the growth rate of the electrical tree and its length were observed in both samples. The result of this study has revealed that in the filled nanocomposite sample, the OMMT acts as barrier which slows down the growth rate of electrical tree. This makes OMMT a potential material to use as fillers in polymeric insulations for the purpose of retarding electrical tree growth.