Study on Optimization Methods for Production Processes of Composite Insulator Sheath and Core Rod

Water diffusion significantly contributes to abnormal temperature rise in composite insulators. At the same time, the material performance defect caused by the composite insulator production process can further increase moisture intrusion. To propose optimized heating measures for composite insulators from the material itself, this paper conducts research on the ingredient process of composite insulator sheath and the production process of composite insulator core rods, respectively. We establish the water absorption model of aluminium hydroxide particles and the penetration model of epoxy resin. Then we identified that the flame retardant particle size is a factor that affects the water absorption of the sheath, while epoxy resin liquid viscosity and fibre volume fraction are factors that affect the porosity of the core rod in the process. Water absorption experiments are conducted to verify the positive correlation between the particle size of flame retardant and the saturated water absorption rate of the sheath. Our porosity testing has confirmed that low-viscosity liquids and high-fibre volume fraction can reduce the porosity of the core rod. Based on these findings, we propose heat generation optimization measures for the sheath and core rod from a process perspective.