Abstract
The effect of an electric field on the ac electrical treeing in various epoxy/reactive diluent systems was studied in a needle-plate electrode geometry. Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) type epoxy was used as a base resin, and 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDGE) or polyglycol (PG) as a reactive diluent was introduced to the DGEBA system, in order to decrease the viscosity of the DGEBA epoxy system. BDGE was acted as a chain extender, and PG acted as a flexibilizer, after the curing reaction. To measure the treeing initiation time and the propagation rate, three constant alternating currents (ac) of 10, 13 and 15 kV/4.2 mm (60 Hz) were applied to the specimen, in a needle-plate electrode arrangement, at $30^{\circ}C$ of insulating oil bath. When 10 kV/4.2 mm (60 Hz) was applied, the treeing initiation time and the propagation rate in the DGEBA system were 356 min and $1.10{\times}10^{-3}$ mm/min, respectively, those in the DGEBA/BDGE system were 150 min and $1.14{\times}10^{-3}$ mm/min, respectively. Those in the DGEBA/PG system were 469 min and $1.05{\times}10^{-3}$ mm/min, respectively. As 15 kV/4.2 mm (60 Hz) was applied, the propagation rate in the DGEBA system was $5.41{\times}10^{-3}$ mm/min, and that in the DGEBA/PG system was $1.42{\times}10^{-3}$ mm/min. These values meant that PG could be used as a reactive diluent in the DGEBA system, without the deterioration of the insulation breakdown property.
