Durability of Electrical Insulators for Power Transmission Industry

Two main areas are addressed in this discipline which concentrates on the use of composite materials in power transmission industry.  The first is the durability of glass epoxy composite systems.  The second discipline addresses new composite cores to serve as conductors.  Use of composite materials for cores of overhead conductors is fairly recent since they offer an increase power delivery on existing right of way (ROW) without violating sag criterion.  Composites cores provide several fold increase in ampacity, and reduced sag at elevated temperatures.  A longer span reduces structures & height requirements. The potential benefits include increased line capacity by replacing the conventional Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) conductor with high temperature reduced sag conductors (HTLS) without modifying structures due to similar weight and tension properties

1. Montesinos J., Gorur R. S., Mobasher B., Kingsbury D., “Brittle Fracture in Nonceramic Insulators Part I: Electrical Aspects of Microscopic Flaws in Glass Reinforced Plastic GRP Rods,” IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, 2002, Vol. 9.pp. 236-243. [Download] 
2. Montesinos J., Gorur R. S., Mobasher B., Kingsbury D., “Brittle Fracture in Nonceramic Insulators,” IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, 2002, Vol. 9.pp. 244-252.[Download]
3. Mobasher B., Kingsbury D., Montesinos J., Gorur R. S., “Brittle Fracture in Nonceramic Insulators Part II: Mechanical Aspects of Crimped Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) Rods” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 2003, pp 852-858. [Download] 
4. R. S. Gorur and B. Mobasher, Discussion of Paper “Can Water Cause Brittle Fracture Failures of Nonceramic Insulators in the Absence of Electric Field”, by Kumosa et al., IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, pp. 621-626, Vo. 12, No. 1, 2005.