Effects of particle size of alumina trihydrate on electrical properties of EPDM

Effects of particle size of alumina trihydrate (ATH) on electrical properties of EPDM/ATH compounds were studied. It was found that tracking and erosion resistance of EPDM/ATH compounds decreased while dielectric properties and 90/spl deg/C water resistance were improved with the increase of particle size. Homocharge accumulates in the compounds, which increases first and then decreases with the increase of particle size. This was explained by the change of particle-to-particle distance due to filler size.