Plastics Testing technology

Electrical Properties
 Dielectric strength
 Dielectric constant
 Dissipation factor
 Surface resistivity
 Volume resistivity
 Arc resistance
Dielectric strength
 Definition
 The maximum electric field strength (E) that it can
withstand intrinsically without breaking down, i.e.,
without experiencing failure of its insulating properties
 It is a measure of the electrical strength of a material as
an insulator.
 It is defined as the maximum voltage required to produce
a dielectric breakdown through the material and is
expressed as Volts per unit thickness.
Note: The higher the dielectric strength of a material the
better its quality as an insulator.
Break down voltage
 It is defined as the minimum voltage that
causes a portion of an insulator to become
electrically conductive.

Breakdown voltage
Dielectric strength =
thickness
Testing
 Test method: ASTM D149 – 09: Standard test
method for Dielectric breakdown voltage and
dielectric strength of solid insulating materials
 Test specimen: 100 mm diameter disc or
square
3.0 2 mm thickness
 > 2 mm will be tested in oil
Note: Sample with thickness
bath to decrease the chance of flashover before
breakdown
Equipment
 Voltage source: Sinusoidal Variable source – varies step
by step upto dielectric break down
 Voltage measurement: Voltmeter to read the voltage
 Electrodes: Dielectric break down voltage depends upon
the geometry of the electrode
 Test Chamber
 Thickness gauge
 Climatic chamber
 Factors affecting Dielectric strength

Factors affecting dielectric strength

 Thickness of the sample (Directly proportional)

 Operating temperature. (Inversely proportional)
 Frequency. (Inversely proportional)
 Humidity. (Inversely proportional)
Dielectric constant
 Relative Permittivity (Dielectric Constant)
The ratio of capacitance of a capacitor with test material as the
dielectric to the capacitance of a capacitor with a vacuum as
the dielectric.
Materials for insulation – Dielectric should be high
The dielectric constant can be calculated using:
ε = Cs / Cv

where Cs is the capacitance with the specimen as the

dielectric, and Cv is the capacitance with a vacuum as the
dielectric.
 Testing
 Test method: ASTM D150 – 98 (2004): Test
method for AC loss characteristics and
dielectric constant of solid electrical
insulation.
 Test specimen: Sheet or slab of 50 mm
diameter disc, up to 3mm thickness.
Dielectric constant

 Test Procedure:
 A sample is placed between two metallic plates and
capacitance is measured.
 A second run is made without the specimen between the
two electrodes.
 The ratio of these two values is the dielectric constant.
 Dissipation factor

Dissipation – loss of power

Dissipation factor – rate of loss of power
Electric Power is dissipated in all dielectrics
(in the form of heat)

 Dissipation factor (tan δ) or DF is defined as

the ratio of the ESR and capacitive reactance
 Dissipation factor
 Ratio of the conductance of a capacitor with
material as the dielectric to its susceptance.
 Represents the amount of energy dissipated
when voltage is applied to an insulating
material.
Dissipation factor
Dissipation Factor
The ratio of the power dissipated in the test material to the power
applied.
Equal to the tangent of the loss angle, or the cotangent of the
phase angle.
The dissipation factor can be calculated using:
D = tan δ = cot θ = 1 / (2π f RpCp)
where δ is the loss angle,
θ is the phase angle,
f is the frequency,
Rp is the equivalent parallel resistance,
and Cp is the equivalent parallel capacitance.
 Testing
 Test method: ASTM D150-98 (2004)
 Value of parallel capacitance and equivalent
parallel resistance has to be measured.
Factors affecting:
 Frequency (Directly)
 Applied voltage (Directly – V2)
 Humidity and Temperature (Directly
proportional)
 Resistivity
 Electrical resistivity (also known as resistivity, specific
electrical resistance, or volume resistivity) is a measure of
how strongly a material
 SI unit of electrical resistivity is the ohm meter (Ωm).opposes
the flow of electric current.

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 Resistance
 Surface resistance (Rs):
Ratio of direct voltage applied at the electrodes
to the portion of the current between them,
which flows through the surface.
 Volume resistance:
Ratio of direct voltage applied at the electrodes
to the portion of the current between them,
which are distributed through the volume of the
specimen.
Surface resistance
 Resistance to the flow of electrical current across its
surface
 Surface resistivity is defined as the electrical
resistance of the surface of an insulator material. It is
measured from electrode to electrode along the
surface of the insulator sample.
 Since the surface length is fixed, the measurement is
independent of the physical dimensions
(i.e., thickness and diameter) of the insulator
sample.
 Testing
 Test method: ASTM D257
The resistance to an electrical current is measured by
electrodes on the same surface. Standard method for
DC resistance or Conductance of insulating materials
ASTM D2305 – 02: Standard test methods for
polymeric films used for electrical insulation.
 Test specimen: 110 mm dia disc, and 3 mm thickness.
Surface resistivity

Volume resistivity
Volume resistivity
Surface resistivity
 Factors affecting Resistivity
 Dust or moisture impurities
 Prolonged use of sample
 Nature and geometry of electrodes
 Applied voltage
 Temperature and Humidity
 Molding defects
 Moisture content
Arc Resistance

The ability of a plastic material to resist the action of a

high voltage arc is defined as arc resistance and is
usually stated in terms of time required to induce
electrical conductivity in a material. It is expressed in
seconds.
 Arc Resistance shows the ability of a plastic to
resist the action of an arc of high voltage and
low current close to the surface of the
insulation in tending to form a conducting path
therein.
Testing
 Test Method: ASTM D495 – 99 (2004) – Standard test
method for high voltage, low current, dry arc resistance of
solid electrical insulation.
 Principle: The specimen is placed in the electrode assembly
and the spacing between the electrodes are maintained at
6.35 mm and placed in vertical position at an angle of 35°
from the horizontal plane of specimen surface. The equipment
is calibrated so as to apply open circuit voltage of 12.5 kV and
current is adjusted to 10 mA. Once arc is maintained at this
test condition, timer is turned ON. At the end of each 1 min,
the arc intensity is increased stepwise. The time for the
formation of conductive path is recorded.
 Factors affecting arc resistance
 Applied voltage
 Temperature and humidity
 Surface contaminants
 Additives and fillers