Surface resistance measurements on nonceramic insulators

The results and analysis of surface resistance measurements performed on no nceramic insulators (NCI) are presented in this paper. The goal of this stu dy was to determine if the surface resistance measurement procedure can be formalized to ensure repeatable and reproducible results. The NCIs evaluate d had housing materials made from one type of silicone rubber and one type of ethylene propylene diene terpolymers (EPDM) rubber. A porcelain post ins ulator was used as a reference. The Task Force concluded that it is possible to establish a standard for su rface resistance measurement in the laboratory. Such a standard is valuable since surface resistance provides: 1) an indication of aging on NCI housin g material and 2) a more sensitive indicator of true contamination severity on insulators than provided by conventional ESDD (equivalent salt deposit density) measurements. As a first step in this direction, guidelines for me asurement have been provided in this paper. Suggestions for future work nee ded for standardization are also included in the paper.