Thermal Erosion of Electrical Insulating Materials

The erosion of synthetic insulating materials by surface discharges constitutes an important problem in the application of these materials for high-voltage outdoor applications. A method of erosion testing is described that simulates the heat flux from surface discharges by radiant energy from a thermal imaging source. This permits accurate measurement of erosion. A theory of erosion is developed that is found to agree well with experiments performed on several cycloaliphatic epoxy resin systems.