A physical explanation of the effects of electrode area on the breakdown of liquid dielectrics

It is well established that the breakdown strength of a dielectric liquid falls as the electrode area or the volume of liquid under stress increases. The usual explanation of this effect is statistical. In this paper, an explanation is offered in terms of the change in the local stored energy. The results of experiments in which the stored energy is changed while the electrode area and test volume are kept constant are presented. The experimental results support the proposed mechanism.