Performance Evaluation on Developed FRP Rods Used in Composite Insulators Using Rotating Wheel and Dip Facility

The use of composite insulators in distribution and transmission power systems is increasing rapidly because of their features over conventional glass and ceramic insulators. However, many incidents of failure/fracture on composite insulators have been reported. Composite insulators being organic are more susceptible to degradation under the influence of electrical discharges, currents, and ultraviolet radiation. The fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) rod is the essential element in composite insulators as it provides the required mechanical strength and internal electrical insulation. In this investigation, the performance of newly developed FRP rods is evaluated using the rotating wheel and dip experiment. This study is conducted to understand the degradation process of FRP rods under damp conditions with electrical stress (arcs, scintillations, and leakage current). We used two different types of FRP rods (normal and tracking-resistant) received from manufacturers. Visual inspection analysis shows the superior performance of the tracking-resistant FRP rod. In addition, detailed microscopic physical and chemical analyses such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) are conducted on both FRP rod samples. Promising results are obtained and discussed.