UNDERSTANDING DISCHARGE ACTIVITY DUE TO WATER DROPLET IN EPOXY NANOCOMPOSITES USING ACOUSTIC EMISSION TECHNIQUE

Ramanujam Sarathi - Michael G. Danikas

   In the present study an attempt has been made to understand the characteristics/formation of corona/arcing discharges from water droplet under highelectric field, in epoxy nanocomposites, adopting Acoustic Emission (AE) technique. The exfoliated/intercalated properties of the nanocomposites were analyzed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. It is observed that: corona initiated discharges are of intermittent process; low wt% of nanoclay content in epoxy resin reduces the surface carbonization due to arcing/corona discharges; gamma irradiation of epoxy nanocomposites have a great impact on the performance of the material. Based on AE studies, it could be concluded that the frequency content of AE signal generated due to arcing lies up to 250 kHz.

Keywords: arcing, corona, epoxy resin, insulation, nanocomposites, UHF signal, water droplet

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