Properties of interfaces between silicone rubber and epoxy

An experimental set-up was designed for testing the impact of adhesion defects at interfaces between silicone rubber and epoxy in composite insulators. Test samples were aged in this set-up by discharges appearing under a presence of tangential electric field at the interfaces exposed to humid conditions. This combination of stresses simulated realistic conditions, in which ageing at the interface could possibly accelerate further deterioration of the adhesion between silicone rubber and epoxy. The test samples were prepared by joining both the materials with and without application of primer. Without the primer, bonding between epoxy and silicone rubber was reduced. The interfacial strength after the ageing was investigated by means of a modified peel test, whereas the changes of the dielectric properties were assessed by dielectric response measurements. Furthermore, the resulting degradation was analysed with infrared spectroscopy and optical microscopy. The analyses showed that the combined stresses affected to some extend both the epoxy and the silicone rubber. However, the interfacial mechanical strength was not reduced significantly, which is an indicator for possibility to tolerate existence of small interfacial defects in real composite insulators.