Functional characteristics of ion-irradiated elastomers used as insulation materials: Comparison between mechanical and electrical properties

The main aim of this work is to get a deeper insight into the problem of insulation properties of materials exposed to radiative environment, namely to compare hardness and electrical resistivity in selected polymers which may be used as electric insulations. The long term objective of the work is to develop a method that can be used for a fast screening of insulation properties without disconnecting the cables from the installation. It is believed that hardness measurements can provide an indication of the insulation resistance, and can hence allow for fast checking of the safety of the electrical installation. A short discussion of the structural effects caused by irradiation with energetic light ions (modeling ionizing radiation) is followed by the analysis of mechanical and electrical characteristics of irradiated polymers aiming at searching for the correlation between these two properties. The results obtained show that hardness may serve the purpose of an indicator of early stages of electrical insulation deterioration in polymers and elastomers.