Improved Vacuum Surface Flashover Performance Of Polymer Insulators By The Use Of Unique Triple Junction Designs

Previous research and theories about surface flashover in vacuum indicate that the triple junction region plays a critical role in the insulator flashover process. To attempt to improve upon the performance of the standard 45-degree frustum insulator, three different insulator geometries with modified triple junction regions were investigated. Two samples of each geometry, each 2 cm thick, were tested to obtain the flashover voltage levels in a low 10/sup -5/ Torr vacuum using a 1.2- microsecond risetime voltage pulse. Each sample was tested five times with 20 shots per test for a total of 200 shots per geometry. Test results and comparisons of the flashover voltage levels for the four geometries are presented. One geometry showed an improvement in flashover voltage of about 40% over the standard 45-degree frustum. It also showed significantly less susceptibility to low-voltage flashover due to surface damage, suggesting a correlation between surface damage and the development of conductive paths along the surface.