Development of Composite Insulators for Overhead Lines

by Satoshi Kobayashi *, Yutaka Matsuzaki *, Hiroshi Masuya *2,

Yoshihiro Arashitani *3 and Ryuzo Kimata *

The United States is leading a world-wide trend toward replacing ceramic and
ABSTRACT
glass insulators with composite insulators that are lighter in weight, as well as
being superior in pollution withstand voltage characteristics and resistance to impact (to counter
vandalism). In the early 1990s, Furukawa Electric developed composite insulators for use as
66/77-kV inter-phase spacers, and subsequently has extended applications to include 275-kV
inter-phase spacer insulators and 154-kV and 66/77-kV class transmission line suspension insu-
lators. The IEC, an international standards organization, has tested this kind of composite insula-
tors for electrical and mechanical performance and has confirmed their reliability, but the use of
organic material as the insulating material has aroused reservations about long-term aging.
Accordingly work has been going forward on outdoor long-term loading cycle exposure tests and
indoor accelerated aging tests.

1. INTRODUCTION ture, and the end-fittings, which transmit the load, had to
be improved. Since the 1980s, greater use has been
Overhead power transmission lines require both cables to made of silicone rubber due to its weather resistance,
conduct the electricity and insulators to isolate the cables which is virtually permanent, and its hydrophobic proper-
from the steel towers by which they are supported. The ties, which allow improvement in the maximum withstand
insulators have conventionally been made of ceramics or voltage of pollution, and this had led to an explosive
glass. These materials have outstanding insulating prop- increase in the use of composite insulators.1)
erties and weather resistance, but have the disadvantages In 1980, Furukawa Electric was engaged in the develop-
of being heavy, easily fractured, and subject to degrada- ment of inter-phase spacers to prevent galloping in power
tion of their withstand voltage properties when polluted. transmission lines, and at that time developed composite
There was therefore a desire to develop insulators of a insulators that had the required light weight and flexibility.
new structure using new materials that would overcome In 1991 the first composite insulators having a silicone
these drawbacks. rubber housing were used as inter-phase spacers for 66-
The 1930s and '40s saw the appearance of the first kV duty, and in 1994 their use was extended to 275-kV
insulators to replace inorganic materials with organic, but service with a unit 7 m in length--the world's largest.
these suffered problems of weather resistance, and their Thus as composite insulators have established a track
characteristics were unsatisfactory for outdoor use. In the record in phase spacer applications and their advantages
1950s epoxy resin insulators were developed, but they have been recognized, greater consideration has been
were heavy, suffered from UV degradation and tracking, given to using them as suspension insulators with a view
and were never put into actual service. By the mid-1970s to cutting transportation costs, simplifying construction
a number of new insulating materials had been devel- work and reducing the cost of insulators in order to lower
oped, and the concept of a composite structure was the costs of laying and maintaining power transmission
advanced, with an insulator housing made of ethylene lines.
propylene rubber (EPR), ethylene propylene diene methyl- Recently Furukawa Electric developed composite insu-
ene (EPDM) linkage, polytetrofluoro ethylene (PTFE), sili- lators for suspension and delivered, for the first time in
cone rubber (SR) or the like, and a core of fiber-reinforced Japan, 154-kV tension insulators and V-type suspension
plastic (FRP) to bear the tensile load. insulator strings. Subsequently they were also used on a
Since these materials were new, however, there were trial basis as tension-suspension devices in 77-kV applica-
many technical difficulties that had to be remedied, such tions. Work is also under way on the development of com-
as adhesion between materials and penetration of mois- posite insulators for 1500-V DC and 30-kV AC railway ser-
*
vice.
R & D Dept., Bare Wire & Cable Div.
*2 Design Sec. Conductor Accessory Dept., Bare Wire & Cable This paper presents an overview of the process of
Div. developing composite insulators for suspension and ten-
*3 2nd Development Sec., Hiratsuka Research Lab., R&D Div. sion, and of service life prediction.

129
 1884 Table 1 Main specifications of composite insulators
1640

Product number H154-120-1880CC

Overall length (mm) 1884

Number of sheds (lrg/sml) 26/25

End-fitting FRP rod Shed diameter (lrg/sml) (mm) 117/83
Silicone rubber
Effective length (mm) 1640
Figure 1 Structure of composite insulator
Surface leakage distance (mm) 5400

Weight (kg) 10
2. DESIGN OF COMPOSITE INSULATORS Electrical characteristics

2.1 Structure of Composite Insulators Power-frequency withstand voltage (kV) 440

Typically a composite insulator comprises a core material, Lightning impulse withstand voltage (kV) 835
end-fitting, and a rubber insulating housing. The core is of Switching impulse withstand voltage (kV) 635
FRP to distribute the tensile load. The reinforcing fibers Mechanical characteristics
used in FRP are glass (E or ECR) and epoxy resin is used
Tensile strength (kN) 120
for the matrix. The portions of the end-fitting that transmit
Bending breakdown strength (MPa) 294
tension to the cable and towers are of forged steel, mal-
leable cast iron, aluminum, etc. The rubber housing pro-
vides electrical insulation and protects the FRP from the
elements. For this reason we at Furukawa Electric have etration of moisture at this point raises the danger of brittle
adopted silicone rubber, which has superior electrical fracturing of the FRP and the electrical field becomes
characteristics and weather resistance, for use in the stronger. For this reason the hardware is of field relaxing
housing. Figure 1 shows the structure of a composite structure and the silicone rubber of the housing is extend-
insulator. ed to the end-fitting to form a hermetic seal. The end-fit-
ting is connected to the FRP core by a compression
2.2 Designing Composite Insulators method that maintains long-term mechanical characteris-
An important feature of the composite insulators devel- tics.
oped here is that the design of the shed configuration is The design requirements for composite insulators for
extremely free, owing to the use of silicone rubber for the 154-kV service are set forth below.
housing. Based on past experience, IEC 60815 "Guide for • Overall performance
the selection of insulators in respect of polluted condi- (1) To have satisfactory electrical characteristics in out-
tions" was adopted. 2) Electrical and mechanical character- door use, and to be free of degradation and cracking
istics were designed to satisfy the requirements set forth of the housing.
in IEC 61109 "Composite insulators for a.c. overhead (2) To be free of the penetration of moisture into the
lines with a nominal voltage greater than 1000 V: interfaces of the end-fitting during long-term outdoor
Definitions, test methods and acceptance criteria". use.
With regard to pollution design, it has been suggested (3) To possess long-term tensile withstand load charac-
that because of the hydrophobic properties of silicone rub- teristics.
ber, composite insulators can be designed more compact- (4) To be free of voids and other defects in the core
ly than in the past, but because of the absence of ade- material.
quate data it was decided in principle to provide as great (5) To be non-igniting and non-flammable when
or greater surface leakage distances. The design value for exposed to flame for short periods.
leakage distance was referenced to the value per unit • Electrical performance (insulator alone)
electrical stress as determined in IEC 60815, adjusted (1) To have a power-frequency wet withstand voltage of
upward or downward according to customer requirements. 365 kV or greater.
Tensile breakdown strength was determined by apply- (2) To have a lightning impulse withstand voltage of 830
ing a safety factor to the long-term degradation in tensile kV or greater.
breakdown strength. (3) To have a switching impulse withstand voltage of
The rubber and FRP of the housing were required not 625 kV or greater.
only to have sufficient mechanical adhesion but to be (4) To have a withstand voltage of 161 kV or greater
chemically bonded, so as to prevent penetration of water when polluted with an equivalent salt deposition den-
at the interface. And because in general a large number of sity of 0.03 mg/cm2.
interfaces may result in electrical weak points, Furukawa (5) To have satisfactory arc withstand characteristics
Electric has adopted a composite insulator design in when exposed to a 25-kA short-circuit current arc for
which the sheds and the shank are molded as a unit, 0.34 sec.
resulting in higher reliability. (6) Not to produce a corona discharge when dry and
The end-fittings comprise three elements, and have the under service voltage, and not to generate harmful
greatest effect on insulator reliability. Specifically the pen- noise (insulator string).

130 Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000

 Table 2 Test Items and applicable test standard

1 Overall performance
1.1 UV durability (ASTM G53)
1.2 Ozone durability (JIS K 6301)

1.3 Composite insulator durability (IEC 61109) (paragraph reference)

(1) Test of interface and connection of the end-fitting (5.1)
(2) Load-time test of core (5.2)
(3) Tracking and erosion tests of the housing (5.3)
(4) Core material tests (5.4)

(5) Flammability test (refer to IEC 60707) (5.5)

Mechanical load-time test and test of the tightness at the interface

(6)
between end-fitting and insulator housing (6.4) Photo 1 Composite insulator under test
Adhesion strength test between end-fitting and insulator housing
(7)
seal (7.4)
2 Electrical performance of the insulator
2.1 Power-frequency wet withstand voltage (IEC 60383) (6.2)
2.2 Lightning impulse withstand voltage (IEC 60383) (6.1)

2.3 Switching impulse wet withstand voltage (IEC 60383) (6.3)

2.4 Maximum withstand voltage of pollution (JEC 170) Figure 2 Composite insulator string for tension tower
2.5 Arc-withstand characteristics (IEC SC36B (Secretariat) 116)

2.6 Corona characteristics (RIV) (refer to IEC 60437 (reference test) 6.5)
2.3 Testing to Confirm Performance
2.7 TV interference test (V-string insulator only)
In order for the composite insulators to be used as insula-
3 Mechanical performance of the insulator
tor strings, tests were also conducted to confirm their per-
3.1 Tensile breakdown strength (IEC 61109, JIS C 3801) formance as V-string suspension devices or tension
3.2 Tensile withstand load (IEC 61109) devices. These test items are shown in Table 2. Photo 1
3.3 Bending characteristics (JIS C 3801) shows an insulator under test, and Figure 2 shows a com-
3.4 Bending breakdown strength (JIS C 3801)
posite tension insulator string.
3.5 Proof test for breakage of one of two strings (reference test)
2.4 Representative Test Results
3.6 Vibration fatigue characteristics (reference test)
The main tests for confirming the performance of the com-
(1) Longitudinal vibration fatigue test (reference test) posite insulators are (from Table 2):
(2) Transverse vibration fatigue test (reference test) 1.3 Composite insulator durability, (1) Test of interface
3.7 Torsional withstand load (reference test) and connection of the end-fitting;
2.5 Power arc-withstand characteristics;
3.8 Repetitive torsional strength (reference test)
3.3 Bending characteristics; and
3.9 Swing characteristics (V-string insulator only)
3.6 Vibration fatigue characteristics: (1) Longitudinal
vibration-fatigue test
These will be dealt with in turn below.
• Mechanical performance (insulator alone)
(1) To have a tensile breakdown load of 120 kN or 2.4.1 Test of Interface and Connection of the End-fitting
greater. The interface adhesion between the housing rubber and
(2) To have a bending breakdown stress of 294 MPa or the FRP core in the vicinity of the end-fitting is considered
greater. one of the most crucial aspects of composite insulator
(3) To show no abnormality at any point after being sub- manufacture, and as a means of verifying its suitability,
jected to a compressive load equivalent to a bending the following procedures set forth in the design test in IEC
moment of 117 N.m for 1 min. 61109 were implemented:
(4) To show no insulator abnormality with respect to tor- 1) nitial dry power-frequency flashover voltage test
sional force producing a twist in the cable of 180°. 2) Sudden load release test (30% of SML* -20 to -25°C)
(5) To be for practical purposes free of harmful defects 3) Temperature-mechanical test (50% of SML* +50 to
with respect to repetitive strain caused by oscillation -35°C)
of the cable. 4) Water-immersion test (42 hr, boiling water, NaCl
Table 1 shows the characteristics of an insulator 0.1% weight)
designed to satisfy these specifications. 5) Verification tests
a) Visual inspection (for cracking or other abnormality)
b) Steep-front impulse voltage test

131
 c) Dry power-frequency voltage tests 3 shows the setup for the power arc withstand test, in
• Flashover test (to check for drop from initial con- which the angle α of the insulator from the horizontal was
ditions) 6°. The test showed that the arc moved between the
• 80% of FOV for 30 min (to check for temperature horns, and fusing of the horns was observed. There was
rise in insulator shank) some discoloration of the insulator portion (housing rub-
* SML = specific mechanical load ber) but it was confirmed that the sheds were not chipped
or damaged, and there was no fusing of the end-fitting.
The following test results were obtained: Photo 2 shows a composite insulator after application of
a) Visual inspection: no cracking or separation of the the power arc. To investigate residual strength after the
housing rubber was observed. test, the tensile breakdown load was determined by apply-
b) Steep-front impulse voltage test: The insulators test- ing SML for 1 min and then applying load until breakdown
ed were separated into two sections and 1000 kV/ µs occurred.
(positive- and negative-polarity) was applied 25 times Table 4 shows the results of the switching impulse with-
to each. All underwent external flashover, but no stand voltage test. As can be seen, there was no drop
puncture of the housing rubber or core occurred. from the initial value.
c) Dry power-frequency voltage tests: Table 3 shows
the results of five repetitions of average flashover volt- 2.4.3 Bending Characteristics
age, but all of the test specimens held 90% or more of Since FRP is used in the core of the composite insulator,
initial flashover voltage. Next 80% of average initial it is necessary that permissible bending load is not
flashover voltage (328.9 kV x 0.8 = 263 kV) was exceeded either during laying or in later service. Bending
applied to the lower end-fitting for 30 min and the tem-
perature rise was measured immediately. All test
specimens satisfied the standards, with a temperature
rise of less than 20 K.

2.4.2 Power Arc-withstand Characteristics

Since the housing is made of organic material, the extent
of damage to the insulator due to power arcing and the
voltage withstand characteristics after testing were con-
firmed by the method described below.
A copper wire fuse was attached to the end-fitting on
both ends of an insulator fitted with arcing horns, a short-
circuit current of 25 kA was applied for 0.34 s, and the
condition of the housing rubber and of arc movement was
investigated. The arcing horn was then removed and a
wet impulse withstand voltage test was carried out. Figure

Table 3 Results of flashover voltage test (adjusted to stan-

dard atmospheric conditions) Photo 2 Composite insulator after application of power arc

Initial (kV) After boiling (kV) Change (%) Table 4 Results of switching impulse withstand voltage test
Sample #1 326.4 kV 334.2 kV +2.38%
Initial After power arc test
Sample #2 327.6 kV 335.2 kV +2.32%
Withstand voltage (kV) 635 667
Sample #3 332.6 kV 326.4 kV -1.90%
Average 328.9 kV 331.9 kV +0.93%

Figure 3 Setup for power arc test of composite insulator Photo 3 Setup for bending breakdown test

132 Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000

 Photo 5 Facility for loading exposure testing in Okinawa

in flashover.
Mechanical aging includes long-term drop in the
Photo 4 Composite insulator installed on working transmis-
strength of the core material or in the holding force of the
sion line
end-fittings, as well as brittle fractures of the core material,
and can on occasion result in breakage of the insulator
characteristics tests were therefore carried out. string. A drop in core strength or holding force of end-fit-
The tests were performed in accordance with Section ting can be countered by adopting an appropriate safety
7.2.2 of JIS C 3801 "Insulator Test Methods". One end of factor and using a reliable method of compression. Brittle
the unit to be tested was held stationary and a bending fractures, on the other hand, occur mostly near the inter-
stress of 294 MPa (30 kgf/mm2) was applied for 1 min. face between the insulation material and the end-fitting,
Since no abnormality was observed, bending moment was and provided this area has been properly manufactured,
increased until breakdown, which occurred at 539 MPa the probability of their occurrence will be lower than that of
(55 kgf/mm2). Photo 3 shows the setup for the bending electrical aging.
breakdown test. To estimate service life from the electrical aspect, actu-
al-scale composite insulators were exposed to electrical
2.4.4 Longitudinal Vibration-fatigue Tests stress, and were subjected to an exposure test under a
In consideration of the galloping oscillation, sleet jumping natural environment. A test chamber simulating environ-
and aeolian vibration that occur in actual service, longitu- mental stress was also constructed, and accelerated tests
dinal vibration fatigue tests were carried out. A horizontal were carried out according to international standards (IEC
tensile testing machine was used to apply a repetitive fluc- 61109 Annex C). Further, by comparing leakage current
tuating tension of 32±12 kN. waveform and cumulative charge, which may be charac-
The tests showed that after 2 million repetitions of the terized as electrical aging, evaluation of composite insula-
mechanical load, there was no pullout of the core or frac- tor service life was carried out.
ture of the end-fitting, or separation between the silicone Furthermore, since in Japan, a drop in insulation perfor-
rubber and the hardware, thereby demonstrating that mance due to rapid pollution during typhoons is a familiar
mechanical reliability was sufficiently high. phenomenon, an investigation was made based on the
characteristics of leakage current obtained during a
2.4.5 Summary of Test Results typhoon into the effect of rapid pollution on electrical aging
The results of some of the test items covered in Table 2 in composite insulators. 4)~7)
were described above. It was also confirmed that there
were no problems with respect to any of the remaining 3.1 Okinawa Loading Exposure Testing Facility
items. Japan's position surrounded by the ocean means that salt
Photo 4 shows a composite insulator installed on a pollution is a common problem, necessitating an under-
working transmission line. standing of aging and decreased insulation performance
due to surface discharge when polluted or wet.
Accordingly a facility for loading exposure testing was
3. PREDICTING SERVICE LIFE constructed in Okinawa, the prefecture where contamina-
tion is most severe and typhoons most frequent.
The service life of a composite insulator involves both The facility is sited on the Pacific Ocean coast at
electrical and mechanical aspects. Electrical aging Nakagusuku Bay. It is exposed on the east to winds off
involves damage from erosion or tracking due to the ther- the ocean and is about 300 m from the shoreline in an
mal or chemical effects of discharge occurring when the area of severe salt pollution. Photo 5 shows the testing
insulation material is polluted or wet, and may even result facility.

133
 To determine the effect of unit electrical stress (V/mm), facility is provided with equipment for applying a steady
which is the most important design parameter for pollution load of 20 kN.
resistance, it was decided to use as test specimens com- Table 5 shows the test cycle of IEC 61109 Annex C.
posite insulators of the same material and structure but This method of acceleration provides a test that pro-
different surface leakage distances, together with ceramic motes electrical degradation by simulating, reproducing in
insulators as a reference. 5)~7) a short period of time, and then repeating the stress
In an effort to determine the electrical behavior of insu- caused by changes in weather under electrical stress.
lators, the test facility monitors weather information (air Photo 6 shows the setup for the accelerated aging test.
temperature, humidity, wind direction and velocity, and Evaluation of the test results was carried out by continu-
precipitation) and carries out continuous measurement of ous measurement of leakage current, regular measure-
leakage current and equivalent salt deposition density ments of the hydrophobicity of insulator surfaces, and
(regularly and during passage of typhoons). These results analysis of surface conditions after the completion of the
are currently being tabulated, and will be presented in a tests using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-
subsequent report. ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS).
As Photo 7 shows, hydrophobicity was adequately
3.2 Accelerated Aging Tests maintained after the specified period of 5000 hr, despite a
The method designated by IEC 61109 for accelerated minor decline from the initial conditions.
aging tests of the housing material of composite insulators Visual observation of insulators after test completion
specifies evaluation of short specimens that satisfy unit revealed a certain degree of gray discoloration, but SEM
electrical stress levels. In this case, however, to examine results showed no difference from the initial conditions.
the effect both of the material and of the structure, the pro- XPS observation of coupling energy also showed no
cedures used in the loading exposure tests being carried change from initial rubber coupling, thus confirming that
out in Okinawa were followed for both the test specimens no aging occurred.
and the voltage (77 kV AC (to ground). To serve as a suit- Thus we see that in actual-dimension accelerated aging
able site for these tests, a large fog chamber was built tests conducted in accordance with IEC 61109 Annex C,
measuring 4.4 m square by 3.3 m in height. 7) the composite insulators showed no great leakage current
In order to be able to investigate the temperature and no tracking or erosion of the insulator surface. Tests
change, humidification, precipitation, salt exposure and of withstand voltage characteristics conducted separately
UV irradiation set forth in IEC 61109, at the same time as also showed satisfactory results. It was accordingly con-
performing accelerated aging tests on the adhesion of the cluded that these insulators would satisfactorily stand up
end-fitting and terminal portion of the housing rubber, this to use at the ordinary level of pollution prevailing in Japan.

Table 5 Accelerated Aging Test Cycle

Humidification 4. CONCLUSION
Heating Composite insulators are light in weight and have demon-
Salt spray strated outstanding levels of pollution withstand voltage
Artificial rain characteristics and impact resistance, and have been
UV irradiation widely used as inter-phase spacers to prevent galloping.
They have as yet, however, been infrequently used as
Loading weight
suspension insulators. The composite insulators for sus-
Voltage application
pension use that were developed in this work have been
(hours) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 proven, in a series of performance tests, to be free of

Photo 6 Setup for accelerated aging test Photo 7 Surface of composite insulator after 5000 hr testing
according to IEC 61109, Annex C

134 Furukawa Review, No. 19. 2000

problems with regard to commercial service, and in 1997 REFERENCES
were adopted for the first time in Japan for use as V-sus-
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To investigate long-term degradation due to the use of voltage outdoor applications, IEEE International symposium on
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based on the additional results that will become available,
tance criteria, IEC61109, 1992-03.
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Manuscript received on July 12, 1999.

135