Laboratory aging of polymer insulators

Accelerated aging was performed on a variety of insulators using different polymer bases. A fog chamber and a tracking wheel were used to provide a breadth of information on the aging processes. Each insulator type was subjected to aging in both systems, with matching samples being examined-both with and without prior UV exposure. It was found that the different material bases exhibited different aging rates as demonstrated by leakage current measurements and visual observations of surface wetting and electrical discharge activity. Some materials were affected by UV exposure while others were not. When comparing the results of the two aging systems it was apparent that the general ranking of performance of the various materials was similar but not identical when leakage current values were considered.