Charging Characteristics of EPDM and Silicone Rubbers Deduced from Surface Potential Measurements

Surface potential dynamics on corona charged surfaces of thick samples of EPDM and silicone rubbers have been studied and analyzed by examining the so called tdV/dt characteristics. This methodology allows for directly obtaining information about charge trap distributions in materials from measurements of potential decay without a-priori knowledge about trap parameters. More importantly, the combination of the above mentioned methodology in conjunction with measurements of other material parameters may provide information desired when analyzing the surface charge behavior on composite insulators for HVDC applications.