The use of materials as electrical insulation
Charles Garton · Physics Education · 1968
The article describes those properties of materials which are relevant to their use as electrical insulation. It is emphasized that the mechanical, thermal, chemical and electrochemical requirements are more difficult to meet in this connection than the purely electrical ones. The physical and chemical mechanisms of failure in insulation are described, in particular the intrinsic and non-intrinsic electric strengths, the effects of discharges, thermal instability, tracking and electrochemical changes. The main types of insulation are classified in relation to the equipment for which they are appropriate, and some indication is given of their thermal and electrical limitations. Consideration of materials used primarily as dielectrics for capacitors is excluded.