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The effect of ATH and silica on tracking and

erosion resistance of silicone rubber compounds
for outdoor insulation
CONFERENCE PAPER MAY 2002
DOI: 10.1109/ELINSL.2002.995929 Source: IEEE Xplore

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The Effect of ATH and Silica on Tracking and Erosion Resistance of Silicone
Rubber Compounds for Outdoor Insulation
L. Meyer1,2

R. Omranipour1

S. Jayaram1

E. Cherney1

1 University of Waterloo Waterloo - ON Canada

2 University of Blumenau Blumenau SC - Brazil

Abstract: In this work, the influence of particle size and

concentration of fillers used in silicone rubber compounds for
outdoor insulation is investigated. Alumina tri-hydrate and silica
with mean particle sizes of 5 and 10 m are used as fillers with
concentrations of 10, 30 and 50 % by weight in a two-part room
temperature vulcanized silicone rubber base polymer. The
results from inclined plane tests show that samples with high
concentrations of filler and/or smaller particle size have better
tracking and erosion resistance than samples with lower
concentration and/or larger particle size.

INTRODUCTION
Today, non-ceramic or composite outdoor insulators are
increasingly gaining a larger portion of the market over
traditional ceramic insulators [1, 2].
The superior
performance under humid and polluted conditions along with
lightweight and lower cost are the main benefits from using
non-ceramic insulators [3].
However, non-ceramic or
polymeric insulators have relatively low resistance against
tracking and erosion, when compared to ceramic insulators.
Because of this, their long-term performance is still being
investigated [4].
On the choice of a polymeric material suitable for outdoor
insulation, silicone rubber has shown superior performance
when compared to other materials for external housings of
insulators, surge arresters and bushings. Since pure silicone
rubber shows little tracking and erosion resistance, fillers like
alumina tri-hydrate (ATH) and silica are added to the silicone
rubber formulation. ATH and silica are the two fillers that are
mostly being used by manufacturers of outdoor insulation.
These fillers not only improve the tracking and erosion
resistance but also lower the cost of the materials. In general,
it has been reported that the type of filler [5], the amount of
filler and particle size have an influence on the tracking and
erosion resistance [6-8]. However, some confusion exists in
this regard as often the comparisons have been made with
unknown filler size and base materials. A proper comparison
requires ATH and silica have to be used with the same base
material to compare the relative influence of filler material on
tracking and erosion resistance. In this context, the present
work looks at the effect of ATH and silica on the performance
of a two-part, room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone
rubber considering similar particle size for filler materials and
their concentration.

EXPERIMENTAL
To assess the tracking and erosion resistance, the inclined
plane test (ASTM D2303 / IEC 587) [9,10] is used. However,
instead of computing the time to track or time to erode, the
time was kept constant (4 hours) and the degree of damage is
evaluated by measuring the eroded volume of samples after
the test. Tests were conducted with two types of fillers of two
different mean particle sizes and three different
concentrations. All concentrations reported in this paper refer
to concentrations by weight. Two-part room temperature
vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber was used to prepare the test
samples. The base polymer material consists of about 70%
vinylpolydimethylsiloxane and 30% vinyl resin. Commercial
silica and ATH having mean particle sizes of 5 and 10 m
sizes are used as fillers with main polymer.

Test specimens and Setup

The silicone rubber and the fillers were thoroughly mixed.
After the addition of the curing agent, the mixture was stirred
again, poured into a mold and degassed. Six samples were
prepared for each compound. Samples were cut into
dimensions as specified in the ASTM D2303 standard. The
thickness of the sample was 7 mm (+/- 0.5 mm), which
allowed easy handling and fixture on the sample holder.
The test setup was assembled following the standard, and is
shown in Fig. 1. A computer data acquisition system was
used to record the leakage current and voltage across each
specimen separately.

Figure 1: Main components of the inclined plane test

setup.

The results obtained after 4 hours of test are shown in Figs 24. For a filler having a mean size of 5 m particles, it is
evident that by increasing the filler concentration, higher
tracking and erosion resistance is achieved. Also, for low
concentration of fillers, 10 to 30 %, ATH filled samples have
shown higher tracking and erosion resistance than those
samples filled with silica. For concentrations of 50 %, both
ATH and silica filled samples show similar tracking and
erosion resistance. With fillers having a mean particle size of
10 m, the results are slightly different. As seen in Figs. 2-4,
at 10 % weight concentration, ATH filled samples performed
better than silica filled samples, showing less eroded volume.
At 30% weight concentration of filler, ATH samples have
eroded more than samples filled with silica. Both fillers have
however shown similar performance with 50% weight
concentration, but showed higher erosion when compared to
filler with 5 m mean particle size.

Eroded Volume
(mm 3)

ATH

Sil ica

Si li ca

ATH

Particle Size ( m )

10

Figure 2: Average eroded volume with ATH and

silica filled samples with 5 and 10 m mean particle
size with 50 % filler concentration.

(mm )

30
20
10
0
ATH

5Silica

ATH

10Silica

Particle Size (m)

Figure 3: Average eroded volume for ATH and silica

filled samples with 5 and 10 m mean particle size
with 30 % filler concentration.
100
80
(mm )

RESULTS and DISCUSSION

10
8
6
4
2
0

Table 1: Applied Voltage and flow rate used in

inclined plane test.
Test Duration
Voltage (kV) Flow Rate (ml/min)
(h)
1st
2.00
0.15
2nd
2.25
0.15
3rd
2.50
0.15
4th
2.75
0.15

Eroded Volume

The test procedure was very similar to the ASTM D2303

Initial Tracking Voltage Test Method. The test voltage
applied was increased by 250V every hour as shown in Table
1. The initial voltage was set at 2 kV and tests were carried
out at a constant flow rate of 0.15 ml/min. A peristaltic pump
was used to have an accurate flow rate of the contaminant
solution. All six samples were tested at the same time. Both
the voltage across and current through the samples were
recorded. Before and after the test, all the specimens were
washed with distilled water, and cleaned with isopropyl
alcohol. To characterize the damage, the damaged volume in
each sample was measured by means of a suitable mass and
all weight measurements were done using a 100 g accuracy
balance. The weight difference before and after the test was
also recorded.

Test Procedure

The results on the comparison of different particle sizes with

same filler has shown that, at 10-30 %, ATH with 5 m
particle size has higher resistance to tracking and erosion than
samples filled with mean particle size of 10 m. However, at
50 % concentration, very little difference was observed
between ATH with 5 m or with 10 m. However, silica
samples at 10-30 % and filled with 5 m particles, had more
erosion than samples with 10 m particle size, an opposite
behavior when compared with ATH. At higher concentrations,
both particles of 5 and 10 m impart similar tracking and
erosion resistance. Also, it is clear that the higher the amount
of filler the higher the tracking and erosion resistance. From
Figs 2-4, it can also be seen that with ATH, the eroded
volume decreased with increased concentration of filler more
linearly; whereas, with silica, the relationship was more a nonlinear. But both ATH and silica filled samples showed a
similar performance at 50% weight concentration, with either
5 or 10 m particles.

Eroded Volume

The leakage current was measured as a voltage drop across a

precision resistor, and the voltage across each specimen was
measured with the aid of calibrated resistive dividers. National
Instrument LabVIEWTM software was used for data acquisition
and harmonic analysis.

60
40
20
0

Silica

ATH

ATH

Silica

10
Particle Size (m)

Figure 4: Average eroded volume for ATH and silica

filled samples with 5 and 10 m mean particle size
with 10 % filler concentration.

Morphological Study
To examine the morphological features and characteristics of
the ATH and silica fillers in the silicone rubber matrix, the
surface of the samples were studied using Scanning Electron
Microscope (SEM). SEM Photographs taken at 1000 and
3000 magnification ratios are shown in Figs. 5-6 and Figs.
7-8, for ATH and silica, respectively. The SEM photographs
show a significant difference in the morphologies between the
two samples. The silica filled samples have a much higher
packing density with very few voids. This could be due to, in
part, the affinity of silica (SiO2) for the main polymer base
(polydimethylsiloxane).

might be expected. To increase the bonding affinity of ATH

particles to the silicone matrix, the filler must be silanized,
which will add chemical radicals to ATH particles to be able
to easily bond to main polymer backbone. An Energy
Dispersive X-Ray analysis was also performed, allowing an
elemental analysis of the compounds molded. For this
analysis, samples were cut from different locations in the main
mold, and at different depths, and were studied by SEMEDAX, and results showed that filler dispersions were
adequate and uniform. Hence the differences observed with
silica and ATH filled samples with relatively similar size
particles are mainly due to the way in which the filler particles
are adsorbed into the base polymer.

Figure 5: SEM photograph of a sample filled with

ATH at 50 % concentration, X 1000.

Figure 7: SEM photograph of a sample filled with

silica at 50 % concentration, X 1000.

Figure 6: SEM photograph of a sample filled with

ATH at 50 % concentration, X 3000.

Figure 8: SEM photograph of a sample filled with

silica at 50 % concentration, X 3000.

ATH filled samples showed a greater number of voids

compared to silica filled samples. The amount of voids and
loose particles found indicate that ATH particles do not
strongly bond to main polymer base. Since the ATH particles
were not surface treated (a process called silanization) this

The differences in the behavior of samples filled with ATH

and silica can be better understood taking into account the two
different mechanisms by which the filler imparts tracking and
erosion resistance. ATH being a flame-retardant, when heated
to about 220 C, releases water of hydration, helping to cool

the spot under attack by dry-band arcing. Silica, on the other

hand, having a better bonding affinity for the silicone matrix,
decreases the overall void volume of the samples.

CONCLUSIONS
Based on the results obtained from inclined plane tests, the
following conclusions are drawn:

[4] S. Gubanski and R. Hartings, Swedish Research on the

Application of Composite Insulators in Outdoor Insulation.
IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, Vol. 11, No. 5, pp.2431, 1995.
[5] R. Omranipour, L Meyer, S. Jayaram, E. Cherney.,
Inclined plane tracking and erosion evaluation of filled and
unfilled silicone rubber, CEIDP 2001, pp. 625-628.

With increased concentration of the filler, silica or

ATH, the resistance increases with both particle
sizes;

[6] S. H. Kim, E.A. Cherney, R. Hackam, "Effects of Filler

Level in RTV Silicone Rubber Coatings Used in HV
Insulators", IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol.
27, No., 6, pp. 1065-1072, December 1992

At high filler concentration (50 %), irrespective of

the filler size and type, the samples performed
identically under the inclined plane test, showing
very high resistance for tracking and erosion;

[7] H. Deng, E.A. Cherney, R. Hackam, "Optimization of

Particle Size of ATH Filler to Enhance Performance of RTV
Coatings", 25th Symposium on Electrical Insulating Materials,
Nagoya, Japan, pp. 99-103.

With concentrations 30 %, ATH filled samples

showed higher resistance for tracking and erosion
compared to silica filled samples with 5 m particle
size.

Further working is being carried out with ATH and silica

fillers having different particle sizes.

REFERENCES
[1] E. A. Cherney, Non-Ceramic Insulators - A Simple
Design that Requires Careful Analysis, IEEE Electrical
Insulation Magazine, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.7-15, 1996.
[2] R. Hackam, Outdoor High Voltage Composite Polymeric
Insulators, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical
Insulation, Vol. 6, No. 5, pp. 557-585, 1999.
[3] S. H. Kim, E. A. Cherney and R. Hackam, Suppression
Mechanism of Leakage Current on RTV Coated Porcelain and
Silicone Rubber Insulators, IEEE Transactions on Power
Delivery, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 1549-1556, 1991.

[8] H. Deng, E.A. Cherney, R. Hackam, "Role of the Size of

Particles of alumina trihydrate Filler on the Life of RTV
Silicone Rubber Coating", IEEE Transactions on Power
Delivery, Vol. 10, 1995, pp. 1012-1024
[9] ASTM-D2303, Standard Test Method for LiquidContaminant, Inclined-Plane Tracking and Erosion of
Insulating Materials.
[10] IEC Publication 587, Test Method for Evaluation of
Resistance to Tracking and Erosion of Electrical Insulating
Materials used under Severe Ambient Conditions, 2nd Ed.,
1984.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The financial support provided by NSERC (Natural Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada) is greatly
appreciated.
One of the authors, L. Meyer, would like to acknowledge
CAPES, a Brazilians Federal Agency of Research, for the
support granted.