Improved performance of silicone rubber insulation with nano fillers

This paper presents experimental results obtained on the tracking and erosion resistance of silicone rubber (SIR) with two different nano fillers. Further, the chemical and morphological changes that silicone composite is likely to have undergone during inclined plane tracking and erosion test (IPTET) studied by employing FTIR spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and EDAX techniques are discussed. Some of the electrical properties showed no significant change after IPTET. The base polymer silicone rubber without nano-filler exhibited blackening, filamentary track formation and chalking. However after the addition of alumina based nano filler, blackening was not observed but chalking was seen in the entire inter electrode gap. Modification of silicone rubber formulation with Titania resulted in no chalking, tracking and erosion. Titania based nano filler offered more resistance to deterioration and the same has been substantiated by the results of FTIR-ATR and EDAX analyses.