Surface degradation of silicone rubber under accelerated aging condition

This paper deals with the surface degradation characteristics of silicone rubber which is used as the weathershed material of polymer insulator under natural environmental condition. There are many aging factors in the outdoor environment, but this paper deals with the factors of acid rain and salt water without regard for the effect of UV, ozone, etc. The silicone rubber was soaked in artificial acid rain and salt water to accelerate its aging. Then the contact angle meter, SEM and EDX were used to observe the surface changes of silicone rubber, and the dielectric loss and the surface leakage current were measured to analyze its electrical characteristics.