The electrical performance of polymeric insulating materials under accelerated aging in a fog chamber

Author

Gorur, R.S. ; Cherney, E. ; Hackam, R. ; Orbeck, T.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng., Windsor Univ., Ont., Canada

Volume

3

Issue

3

fYear

1988

fDate

7/1/1988 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1157

Lastpage

1164

Abstract

A comparative study of the AC (60 Hz) surface aging in a fog chamber is reported on cylindrical rod samples of high-temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicon rubber and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber containing various amounts of alumina trihydrate (ATH) and/or silica fillers. In low-conductivity (250-μS/cm) fog, silicone rubber performed better than EPDM samples, whereas in high-conductivity (1000-μS/cm) fog, the order of performance was reversed. The mechanisms by which fillers impart tracking and erosion resistance to materials is discussed as influenced by the experimental conditions of the accelerated aging tests. Surface studies by ESCA (electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis) demonstrate that the hydrophobicity of silicone rubber, despite the accumulation of surface contamination, can be attributed to migration of low-molecular-weight polymer chains and/or mobile fluids, such as silicone oil

Keywords

ageing; organic insulating materials; polymers; 60 Hz; AC surface aging; ATH; EPDM; alumina trihydrate; erosion resistance; ethylene propylene diene monomer; fog chamber; high-temperature vulcanised silicone rubber; polymeric insulating materials; tracking resistance; Accelerated aging; Dielectrics and electrical insulation; Insulation life; Materials testing; Plastic insulation; Polymers; Rubber; Silicon compounds; Surface contamination; Surface resistance;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Power Delivery, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0885-8977

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/61.193898

Filename

193898