Simulation of Composite Insulator Interface Defects in Partial Discharge

The interface failure of composite insulator is a common phenomenon in recent years. However, the mechanism of failure generation is still not clear due to the lack of enough tests. To further study this problem, we conducted the experiments. A long-term experiment of interface failure simulation is conducted in which artificial defect was set in the interface between sheath and core. Experiments results showed that the partial discharge can cause the inner defects in composite insulators. The defect morphology is similar to the real defects in degraded insulators. The experiment phenomena confirm that partial discharge plays a main role in the generation of interface failure. The results provided a reference to technology improvement and overhead transmission line inspection.