On the dielectric breakdown behavior of silicone gel under various stress conditions

Silicone gel belongs to the group of room-temperature-vulcanizible silicone rubbers. It is a soft and conformable material with a certain tackiness. The work presented, describes the dielectric breakdown performance of silicone gel influenced by various stress conditions such as the presence of humidity or the influence of temperature. Above, that the ageing performance of the gel and the interdependence between the stressed material volume and the dielectric breakdown strength are under investigation. Finally, the behavior of the gel on electrically stressed interfaces is presented. The results provide practical information for the design of electrical insulations using silicone gel