Open AccessMechanical Properties of High-Temperature Vulcanized Silicone Rubber Under Acid-Fog With AC Energized
Author(s) -
Zhijin Zhang,
Guohui Pang,
Xiaodan MA,
Tian Liang,
Xingliang Jiang
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
ieee access
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 127
ISSN - 2169-3536
DOI - 10.1109/access.2022.3203473
Subject(s) - aerospace , bioengineering , communication, networking and broadcast technologies , components, circuits, devices and systems , computing and processing , engineered materials, dielectrics and plasmas , engineering profession , fields, waves and electromagnetics , general topics for engineers , geoscience , nuclear engineering , photonics and electrooptics , power, energy and industry applications , robotics and control systems , signal processing and analysis , transportation
Due to excellent anti-pollution performance, composite insulators have been widely used in transmission lines. However, composite insulators present various failures after long-term outdoor operation under environmental, mechanical, and electrical stress. This paper aims to investigate the mechanical deterioration of silicone rubber exposed to electrical stress in an acidic corrosive environment. This study examines the mechanical properties before and after experiments and uses physicochemical properties to analyze aging causes and mechanisms. The results are as follows: a) Subjected to electrical stress in acid mist, alumina tri-hydrate (ATH) decomposition and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pyrolysis occur on the silicone rubber, and oxidative crosslinking reactions take place. The contents of highly oxidized silicon and oxygen increase, and carbon content decreases. The surface discharge aggravates the above progress. b) The electric field has no obvious effect on the penetration of nitric acid into silicone rubber. The surface discharge becomes intense with the increased energized voltage, resulting in decreased hydrophobicity and degraded surface properties. c) Mechanical properties of silicone rubber exposed to acid conditions continuously degrade. Physical crosslinking of the silicone rubber increases along with corrosion time and nitric acid concentration, increasing hardness, decreasing tensile strength, and elongation at break. This paper investigates the relationship between mechanical and physicochemical properties, and the results can provide references for studying the failure mechanism of silicone rubber in an acid corrosion environment.