Experimental study on dielectric and mechanical properties of PVC cable insulation with SiO2/ CaCO3 nanofillers

Polymers are much fascinated by researchers and fabricators, because of their easy production, light weight, design flexibility and processability. One of the ways to modify the properties of polymer is to reinforce with particulate fillers. In this work the experimental investigation was carried out on nanofillers SiO₂ and CaCO₃ with an average size of 10-30nm. PVC with 2.5 wt%, 5 wt%, 7.5 wt% of SiO₂ and 2.5 wt%, 5 wt%, 7.5 wt% of CaCO₃ samples were taken for analysis. Dielectric strength test, partial discharge test, insulation resistance test, tensile strength and elongation level test were conducted on PVC with SiO₂ and CaCO₃ nanofillers. Their results were compared with PVC resin. The test results showed that the addition of silicon dioxide has an impact on mechanical properties and calcium carbonate helped to improve the dielectric properties. It can be concluded that 5 wt% of SiO₂ and CaCO₃ with PVC is best of all combinations because of their improvement in dielectric and mechanical properties.