Ceramic dielectrics

Ceramic dielectrics, as we know them today, are quite different from those in use 25 years ago. In fact, at the turn of the century, the American ceramic literature only briefly and sparingly mentions ceramic dielectrics. In 1901 and 1902 A. S. Watts writes on porcelain insulators stating that, “The essential properties of an electrical insulator are: first, that it possess, first of all, a high efficiency as a non-conductor; second, that it stand, without snapping, any reasonable strain put upon it by the exigencies of wiring; third, that it withstand the blows of missiles, even bullets, without, breaking.”