Aging under thermal and electrical stresses of recycled PET based composite materials

Results on the electro-thermal aging of recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) reinforced with glass fibers and mica platelets are reported in this paper. Experiments were conducted on several recycled PET-based composites at constant temperature of 110, 140 and 170°C, respectively. The effect of adding mica and glass fibers to the dielectric properties of recycled PET was investigated. The effect of the size of mica platelets was also investigated using two different sizes. Time-to-breakdown results were processed statistically, using the two-parameter Weibull distribution function. All material surfaces were analyzed after breakdown with SEM and optical microscopy. Results obtained showed that the recycled PET exhibited a similar dielectric endurance as industrial PET. The goal of this article is to estimate the durability of recycled PET-based composites under high electrical and thermal stresses, a situation that can be encountered in various electrical components such as the casing of the ignition system of internal combustion motors.