Accelerated aging tests for polymer insulated cables under wet conditions

The effectiveness of various aging test procedures utilized in the past to evaluate aging in polymeric cables under wet conditions is examined. It is pointed out that the prime parameters affecting the aging rate and its mechanisms are those of electrical stress, frequency, water solution, temperature, mechanical strain, and testing time duration. Any valid fixed-time or time-to-breakdown test procedure that is based on the stress/frequency acceleration concept must, therefore, be carefully specified and defined in terms of these parameters