Title :
Water treeing phenomena in amorphous dielectrics
Author :
Shaw, S.H. ; Shaw, M.T.
Author_Institution :
Inst. of Mater. Sci., Connecticut Univ., Storrs, CT, USA
Abstract :
Polystyrene was used to study the role of material variables in water-tree growth. Matrix stiffness, crosslink density, and additives were studied for their influence on the process of tree initiation and/or growth. It was found that amorphous, plasticized, and crosslinked polystyrene were all susceptible to water treeing. In crosslinked samples, water-tree growth was inhibited above a certain crosslink density. Lowering the stiffness of the polymer by plasticization markedly coarsened the water trees produced. Interfaces, while providing initiating sites in some instances, did slow the growth of impinging trees. The implications for water treeing in polyolefins are discussed
Keywords :
electric breakdown of solids; organic insulating materials; polymers; additives; amorphous dielectrics; crosslink density; crosslinked polystyrene; impinging trees; initiating sites; material variables; matrix stiffness; plasticization; polyolefins; tree initiation; water-tree growth; Additives; Amorphous materials; Crystalline materials; Crystallization; Dielectric materials; Polyethylene; Polymers; Slabs; Testing; Trees - insulation;
Conference_Titel :
Electrical Insulation, 1990., Conference Record of the 1990 IEEE International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Toronto, Ont.
DOI :
10.1109/ELINSL.1990.109737
