A study on the surface change and dielectric properties of epoxy insulator by water degradation

In examining the polymer application as electrical insulators, it is very important to perform simulations of accelerated aging tests as substitutes for the process of long-term degradation in actual application on polymer insulators. The purpose of this study is to examine the properties of water degradation which affect on the efficiency of the epoxy insulator. To do this, the surface properties on epoxy insulator have been investigated after long-time accelerated degradation in boiling water. The experimental results showed the contact angle and surface resistivity of the treated samples decreased as a function of exposed time. In dielectric properties, dielectric constant increased as accelerated degradation developed with water treatments