Long time exposure influence of partial discharge (PD) to coated printed circuit boards

The authors deal with the behavior of solid insulation under the long-term influence of partial discharges (PDs). As a very recent example for a low-voltage component with solid insulation, namely, the coated printed circuit board was investigated. The measurements necessary to evaluate the long-term influence of PDs were performed by computer-aided test equipment. The measurement equipment, the test specimen, the test cycles, and the statistical methods used for the analysis are described. The data that were received during the test cycles were condensed by statistical methods. To evaluate the degradation mechanism, microscopic investigations were performed. A number of conclusions are drawn from the study