SOLID

INSULATORS
APRIL JOHN R. LAMPERA
TYPES OF SOLID
INSULATOR
 ASBESTOS
 BAKELITE
 CONTTON OR SILK
 MICA
 MICALITE
 PAPER
 WAXES
 RUBBER
 CERAMICS
 RESIN OR POLYMERS
 GLASS
ASBESTOS
 Chemically it is a hydrated magnesium silicate. It is very useful
inorganic material.
 The fibrous structure of asbestos combined with its non-
inflammability, makes it particularly suited for thermal as well
as electrical insulation.
 It has a relatively low value of dielectric strength and provides
good insulation at low voltages but its property of resistance
against heat makes it very useful in high temperature windings
such as those in railway, crane, mill or compressor motors
where wide temperature changes may be encountered. It is
applied in the form of tape, sheet or pulp.
BAKELITE
 It is a synthetic resin obtained by condensation of
formaldehyde with phenol or cresol.
 It is heat proof, acid proof and mechanically strong.
 It is commonly used for manufacture of all kinds of
small electrical fittings— lamp-holders, switches,
plugs etc.
COTTON OR SILK
 Cotton is hygroscopic and has low electric strength, so
it must be impregnated with varnish or wax after
winding.
 Cotton covered wire is extensively used for winding of
small magnet coils, armature winding of small and
medium sized machines, chokes and small transformer
coils etc.
 Silk is more expensive than cotton but takes up less
space and is therefore used for windings in fractional
horse power machines.
 Silk is less hygroscopic and has a higher dielectric
strength than cotton, but like cotton it requires
impregnation.
 The operating temperature of cotton and silk is 100°C
and the material carbonise above this temperature.
MICA
 It is a mineral composed of silicate of aluminum with silicates of
soda potash and magnesia. It occurs in the form of crystals which
can easily be split into lamina.
 It is affected by oils.
 Its dielectric strength varies from 40 to 150 kV/mm.
 It is least affected by heat but dehydrates at high temperature.
 It has high dielectric strength and low power loss.
 It is rigid, tough and strong.
 Its electrical properties are deteriorated with the presence of
quartz and feldspar.
 Mica sheets are used for the insulation leaves between
commutator segments. These are however not available in large
thickness.
MICANITE
 It is formed from mica fragments bonded by shellac varnish into
large sheets.
 Its dielectric strength is 30 kV/mm
 It is mechanically weak at high temperatures.
 As mica sheets are not available in large size to be used in
commutators of considerable dimensions. ‘Micanite’ has been
developed for this purpose. This is obtained by switching mica
slitting on sheets of paper by means of a drying varnish such as
shellac. These sheets are pressed between heated plates and
then cooled.
 It is used for slot lining of H.V. machines.
 It is also employed for making bushes (Bush is an insulator
which enables a live conductor to pass through an earthed wall
or tank)
PAPER
 It is prepared from wood pulp and manila fibers beaten and rolled into
sheets.
 Its dielectric strength is 4 to 10 kV/mm.
 It is hygroscopic and absorbent and so is particularly suitable for
impregnation.
 Electrical properties are adequately good.
 It is rarely used in un-impregnated condition but can be used
successfully under oil.
 It carbonizes at 125°C so that the temperature of any paper insulated
apparatus is limited to about 100°C.
 The paper is used for winding and cable conductor insulation, primary
dielectrics in capacitors, backing for mica insulation, slot insulation of
electrical machines, transformer insulation.
 High density papers are preferred in DC and energy storage capacitors
and other DC insulation.
WAXES
 Because of their high electrical resistance and
exceptional water repellence, waxes are used as
impregnating compounds in condensers and in the
radio coils used in the tropics. The common variety
used is paraffin wax.
 Insulating wax is used as an impregnating material
for paper and cloth insulation, as a dipping medium,
and as a directly applied coating on conductors.
RUBBER
 The materials used in cable insulation are – (i) pure
rubber, (ii) impregnated paper, and (iii) vulcanised
bitumen. Raw rubber cannot be used as an
insulating material directly because it is brittle and
hard when cold but soft and stiff when hot. In
addition, it perishes under the action of oil and air.
Sulphur addition makes the product harder. If the
sulphur is added to an extent of 30%, vulcanite or
ebonite is obtained which is hard material with
excellent insulating properties. The operating
temperature of rubber is 50°C.
CERAMICS
 Ceramic materials contain phases that are compounds of
metallic and non- metallic elements. Ceramics are
mechanically hard possess good electrical properties.
 Ceramics with dielectric constant below 12 are more
advantageously used in bulk as insulator, bushing, housing
and the like. Materials with r < 12 are porcelains, steatite,
torsterit, wollastonite, alumina ceramics etc. Other
applications of low permittivity ceramics include suspension
insulators for high voltage lines and pin insulators for low
voltage lines, station insulators and bushing for
transformers, oil breakers, disconnecting switches. At high
temperature they are used for support of heaters and
furnace windings, wire wound power resistor, insulators for
thermocouples, cathode heaters, insulation in valves and
sparking plugs.
RESINS OR POLYMERS
 Resins are organic substances with very high
molecular weight. They are available in nature as
well as artificially made. Synthetic resins are
synthetic polymers known as plastics and form an
important group of insulating materials.
 They are bad conductors of electricity and
unsuitable for high temperature service.
 They have high dielectric strength.
GLASS
 Ordinary glass is a good insulator but it is too brittle to be used for
anything; scientific instrument parts, containers etc.
 Toughened glass is employed for insulation in extra H.V. lines having
voltage above 100 kV. It is produced by processing ordinary glass to
desired shape at about 100°C and then cooling quickly in compressed air
current.
 The electric strength of toughened glass under lighting conditions is 3-4
times, higher than that of porcelain.
 Glass is used in the production of glass fiber formatting tapes similar to
cotton or silk tapes.
 It is widely used as an insulating material to form the envelop and for
internal supports in electric light bulbs, electronic valves, X-ray tubes etc.
 Glass having high dielectric constant, very low temperature coefficient is
used as a dielectric material in capacitors.
 Potash, Potassium, Sodium Pyrex and silica glass are used for making
insulating supports such as antennas, line insulators and bushings.