Study on Silicone Rubber Composite Insulator Modified by High-Energy Electron Beam Irradiation

The impact of high-energy electron beam irradiation on silicone rubber composite insulator is investigated in this article. It was discovered that as the irradiation dose increased, the related properties of silicone rubber increased first and then decreased, with the static contact angle increasing to 111.8°, the tensile strength increasing to 4.59 MPa, the tear strength increasing to 26.8 kN/m, and the crosslinking density increasing to$7.09\times 10^{-{4}}$mol/cm3, but the elongation decreasing. SEM observation revealed that silicone rubber was more compact after irradiation. attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies revealed that when the irradiation dose increased, the irradiation of silicone rubber shifted from crosslinking to degradation, and a new Si(−O)4 structure formed. Considering comprehensive performances, 40–50 kGy is the optimal irradiation dose. This article can provide support for understanding the irradiation modification of silicone rubber materials for composite insulator and also guide the preparation method of new silicone rubber.