Influence of the processing variables on the morphology and dielectric breakdown of the XLPE

Polymeric materials with good physical properties can be obtained only by new chemical composition, but also by modification of morphology through processing. T. Fukuda, et al [1], and Takahashi, et al [2], demonstrated that dielectric strength increases with the degree crystallinity of XLPE. J.P. Gupta and N.V. Sefton [3] demonstrated that the degree of crystallinity of LDPE increases with pressure, either in compression moulding or in extrusion. This paper is an investigation to verify the influence of processing on morphology and the impulse breakdown strength in XLPE.