• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.137-142
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• 2019

The microstructure, phase, and mechanical properties of three aged porcelain insulators which were manufactured in different years (1973, 1995 and 2008) and which were used in the field for different amounts of time, were investigated. With X-ray 3D computed tomography (CT), defects with ~mm size can be detected without destroying the aged insulators. Defects of small specimens, which are cut from the aged insulators and polished, are analyzed with optical and scanning electron microscopy (OM and SEM), and defects of um size are detected by OM and SEM. The number and size of defects in all the aged insulators are similar. Porcelain insulators manufactured in 1973 contain more $SiO_2$ (quartz and cristobalite) than those manufactured in 2008. Those manufactured in 2008 contain more $Al_2O_3$ than those manufactured earlier. The Vickers hardness of the insulator manufactured in 1973 has the lowest value. The formation of the cristobalite ($SiO_2$) in the insulator manufactured in 1973 which can come from the phase transformation of quartz can cause stress in the insulator by formation of microcracks, which can lead to the low hardness of the insulator.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.58-65
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• 2018

The life span of the porcelain insulator was made to be 30 years, but currently many of the 154kV NGK porcelain insulators using in Korea are found to have passed the production life. Accidents caused by aged mechanical breakdown can lead to disruption of power supply in some areas, large economic losses, and casualties. Therefore, ultrasonic method, which is one of the non - destructive test methods, is applied as a method for evaluating the integrity of porcelain insulators. In this study, the experiment on the interface of cap was conducted and the difference between the energy difference and the attenuation coefficient of the reflected wave was derived according to the interface state of the steel - cement. The results of this study are expected to be used as the basic data of the ultrasonic testing to evaluate the interface condition of the porcelain insulator cap.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.842-850
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• 2003

The suspension insulators are subjected to harsh environments in service for a long time. The long-term reliability of tile insulators is required for both mechanical and electrical performances. This study describes some basic performance tests and accelerated aging test by cool-heat cycling methods and thermal mechanical performance test methods on alumina porcelain insulators (new and aged) used for transmission line in KOREA. There was no fail in electrical and mechanical performance tests such as a high voltage strength, a flashover voltage, and an impact strength in all samples. But in the case of accelerating aging tests which have above 9$0^{\circ}C$ temperature gradient, fracture phenomena was happened by a thermal shock in tile aged sample(sample A) with low alumina porcelain body. It was indicated that sample A was more severely aged than other samples. According to results of HRB test and microstructural analysis, it was reasoned that insulator bodies with the matrix reinforced with alumina crystalline phase have advantages over the suppression of crack advance. And cool-heat aging and mechanical thermal ageing tests shows that a temperature gradient is more effective to accelerating than a cycling number.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.147-150
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• 2008

Porcelain suspension insulators aged for 1, 5 and 10 years on Korean transmission lines and new insulators are tested for autoclave expansion. The compressive strength of the insulators aged in an autoclave with conditions of $250\;^{\circ}C$ and at 20 atm for 30 minutes, was about $7.6\;kgf/mm^2$, which is close to that measured on insulators aged for 10 years in the field. From simulation results, the cement displacement changed linearly with temperature. At a temperature of $200\;^{\circ}C$, the shear stress was approximately $7\;kgf/mm^2$; a stress that is brought about by a 0.07 % expansion of the cement. It is evident that the cement would fracture at a 0.07 % expansion, because the cement has about 7 to $9\;kgf/mm^2$ flexure strength. A turning point in the shear stress with mechanical load occurred at 0.02 % cement expansion. From an analysis of the porcelain body it is shown that there is sufficient margin of strength to guard against fracture of the porcelain body even for a cement expansion more than 0.12 %.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.348-353
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• 2003

This paper was the research of high voltage suspension insulator (400 [kN]) including pottery stone, feldspar, clay and alumina of 17 [wt%]. The slurry was fabricated after ball milling mixed raw materials. Green compacts were made by the extrusion of jiggering method and were sintered at 1300[$^{\circ}C$] for 50 [min.] in the tunnel kiln. The sintered density was reached to 97% of theoretical density, and the bending strength was 1658 [k $g_{f}$/$\textrm{cm}^2$] and hardness and fracture toughness which was measured by ICL( indentation crack length ) method were 1658 (kgf/$\textrm{cm}^2$) and 27.5 [Gpa], respectively. In measurement of tana and insulation break voltage of 400 (kN) porcelain, tan$\delta$ took some numerical value between 17${\times}$10$_{-3}$ and 61${\times}$10$_{-3}$ and insulation break voltage value was 19.9$\pm$1.4 [㎸/mm]. The test was performed to research whether the shape of pin affect a overvoltage break load or not As a consequence, when a pin was designed a pin diameter 51 [mm] with the bottom form of two-step constructed with straight in the suspension insulator, Insulator showed overvoltage break load 52 [ton] of the highest value and reflected a fine characteristic in aged deterioration test which is one of the accelerated aging test. Also it could be confirmed a fine characteristic through performing the test that electrical property of insulator was established correctly in accordance with IEC 60383-1 standards.s.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.562-563
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• 2005

In case of aged porcelain, the failure in basic performance tests happened in cool-heat tests. Based on this characteristic, we studied the method predicting failure phenomena through more severe accelerated cool-heat ageing and accelerating thermal mechanical performance tests. Test results indicated that the thermal stress by temperature gradient was more severe parameter than thermal stress by quenching cycles within a category of standard or accelerating methods. And there is no the deterioration of statistic strength, but the deterioration of strength according to accelerating tests is serious.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2020

Porcelain insulators have been used for a long time in 154 kV power transmission lines. They are likely to be exposed to sudden failure because of product deterioration. This study was conducted to evaluate the quality of porcelain insulators. After stresses were applied, the damaged regions of aged insulators were investigated in terms of chemical composition, material structure, and other properties. For porcelain insulators that were in service for a long time, the mechanical failure load was 126 kN, whereas the average mechanical failure load was 167.3 kN for new products. It was also determined that corrosion occurred at the metal pin part due to the penetration of moisture into the gap between the pin and the ceramic. Statistical analyses of failure were performed to identify the portion of the insulators that were broken. Cristobalite porcelain insulators fabricated without alumina additives had a high failure rate of 54% for the porcelain component. In the case of the addition of Alumina (Al₂O₃) to the porcelain insulators to improve the strength of the ceramic component, a more frequent damage rate of the cap and pin of 73.3% and 27%, respectively, was observed. This study reports on the material component of SiO₂ and the percentage of alumina added, with respect to the mechanical properties of porcelain insulators.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2000.07c
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• pp.1602-1604
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• 2000

When insulators are operated near cement factories, some amount of cement powder may be stuck on the surface of insulators and decreases their electrical performances. Three kinds of insulators, such as, silicone EPDM and porcelain insulators, are tested in this paper. Testing Voltage of 25kV is applied to the samples, and surface leakage current is measured for 6 months after cement solvent of 10 vol% was stuck on the surface of each insulator in the laboratory. Insulation layers are cut from 3 and 6 month-aged insulators and tested for ac breakdown, impulse breakdown, contact angle. After aging, electrical properties are unchanged in silicone and EPDM insulators but show some changes in porcelain insulators.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.152-154
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• 2001

Recently the extensive use of composite insulators for transmission lines can ultimately be justified only on long-term qualification tests. Especially, it is possible for the Polymer insulator to be aged in according to the environment in which it is used this may bring about the decrease of the duration of voltage application. So, this paper deals with aging property of the polymer insulator installed at real transmission line in the industry area. The contact angle, arc test, tracking test were measured for acquiring the degradation characteristics of silicone rubber and the SEM, XRF, FT-IR tests were measured for analyzing the crack and components. Also the surface leakage current of the polymer insulator was compared with that of the porcelain insulator. Finally, we knew that the aging property was not appeared during seven months at real transmission line in the industry area.