Im. Irurzun et al., Fractal analysis of electrical trees in a cross-linked synthetic resin - art. no. 016110, PHYS REV E, 6302(2), 2001, pp. 6110-NIL_119
A statistical picture Of dielectric breakdown in cross-linked polyester res
ins for a two-dimensional geometry is presented and discussed in this paper
. A connection is established between the dielectric breakdown model (DBM)
and the physical properties of the resin. Distribution propagation times of
simulated trees obey a Weibull statistics, as was experimentally found. Th
is adjustment is achieved by a redefinition of the unit of time, which is d
ifferent from the one employed up to date. The experimental dependence of c
haracteristic propagation times on the fractal dimension D can be reproduce
d in the range 1.2<D<1.5. A relationship is: established between the glass
transition temperature T-e and the DBM parameter eta, which is in agreement
with thermodynamical considerations. It is suggested that fractal characte
ristics of electrical trees should be related to a basic material property,
such as the cross-linking density, which implies a notion of universality
that deserves to be explored.