Study on non‐uniformity and dynamic fracture characteristics of GIL tri‐post insulators considering Al2O3 sedimentation

Tri‐post insulators in gas‐insulated transmission line (GIL) are usually fabricated with high mass fraction of micron aluminum oxide (Al2O3), which will unavoidably settle under the action of gravity during the preparation process and seriously affect the uniformity. A model of filler sedimentation in epoxy resin composite materials was proposed based on the particle size analysis and Stokes' Law. Some scaled tri‐post insulators were prepared and tested by slicing. It is determined that the position of density concentration is the lower side of the two lower posts and the upper interface between the insulator and the conductor. The density ranges from 2.144 to 2.346 g/cm3. The dynamic fracture simulation model of insulator was established and it is found that the insulator fracture occurs at the interface of upper post/insert under radial load, which is verified by experiments. By comparing the influence of sprue position on the density distribution, it is found that the uniformity of insulators is increased by 13.7% by forward pouring compared with reverse pouring. This research develops an accurate method for simulating the filler sedimentation and the fracture process in epoxy‐based insulators, which is helpful for the improvement of mechanical reliability of GIL.