Fractal characteristics of dielectric breakdown

Wiessman and Zeller (WZ, 1986) applied a simple two-dimensional stochastic model in order to apply it to the stepwise propagation of those damage structures known as electrical trees. These branching structures propagate by the repeated extension of the individual tips of damage channels and they have fractal characteristics similar to those observed experimentally in solid dielectrics under alternating voltage excitation. Barclay, Sweeney, Dissado and Stevens (BSDS, 1990) explored critically the fractal character of the simulated electrical trees by using the WZ model. In this paper we will essentially adopt the BSDS model to explore the fractal character of electrical trees by using a different tree growing simulation process as that proposed by those authors