Effect of Electric Field Frequency on the AC Electrical Treeing Phenomena in an Epoxy/Layered Silicate Nanocomposite

The effects of electric field frequency on the AC electrical treeing phenomena in an epoxy/layered silicate (1.5 wt%) were investigated in a needle-plate electrode arrangement. A layered silicate was exfoliated in an epoxy-base resin with AC electric field apparatus. To measure the treeing initiation and propagation- and the breakdown rate, a constant alternating current (AC) of 10 kV with three different electric field frequencies (60, 500, and 1,000 Hz) was applied to the specimen in the needle-plate electrode specimen in an insulating oil bath at $130^{\circ}C$. At 60 Hz, the treeing initiation time was 12 min, the propagation rate was $0.24{\times}10^{-3}$ mm/min, and the morphology was a dense branch type. As the electric field frequency increased, the treeing initiation time decreased and the propagation rate increased. At 1,000 Hz, the treeing initiation time was 5 min, the propagation rate was $0.30{\times}10^{-3}$ mm/min, and the morphology was a dense bush type.