Physicochemical properties investigation in nano sized SiO2 filled silicone rubber for high voltage insulation applications

This paper discusses the nano sized SiO₂ filled virgin and aged silicon rubber (SIR) materials under AC Voltage with ammonium chloride as a contaminant as per IEC 60587 test Procedures in the view of understanding its tracking and erosion resistances. The characteristic variations in the tracking resistance of nano sized SiO₂ filled virgin and aged SIR specimens are analysed and eroded masses are used to evaluate the relative erosion and tracking resistance of the composites. The Thermo Gravimetry-DerivativeThermoGravimetricTG-DTG) studies are performed to understand the thermal degradation of nano sized SiO₂ filled SIR materials with different percentage weights (% wt) of filler. The obtained result shows that the thermal performance of nano filled virgin and aged SIR specimens are improved when the % wt of filler is increased. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDAX) is used to examine the filler dispersion and surface morphology of the virgin and aged SIR.