Experimental dataset on the tensile and compressive mechanical properties of plain Kraft and crepe papers used as insulation in power transformers after ageing in mineral oil

Abstract

The solid insulation in the windings of power transformers, which generally consists of oil-impregnated thin paper, is one of the key elements for the performance and durability of these electrical machines. Insulation paper is subjected to static and dynamic forces of electromagnetic origin, in combination with high temperatures and chemical reactions, during the operating life of a power transformer. The mechanical properties of the cellulosic insulation are relevant parameters because its breakage could result in the electric failure of the transformer. Indeed, paper manufacturers usually provide values of the tensile strength and elongation at breakage of the insulating paper in its two principal material directions, the MD (machine direction) and CD (cross-direction). However, paper is a highly anisotropic material and its material properties evolve as the paper insulation ages. The paper insulation in an operating transformer is subjected to a multiaxial stress state field including compressive and shear stresses. This article reports experimental data on the tensile and compressive mechanical properties of two types of paper, plain Kraft and crepe paper, typically used as insulation in power transformers, under different ageing states (which were induced through accelerated thermal ageing and quantified by means of the degree of polymerisation). These data could be reused for several purposes. They can improve the current understanding of the mechanical response and degradation processes of the cellulosic insulation in power transformers, and give some reference values that can be compared with others obtained in the factory by manufacturers. In the field of engineering failure analysis, those values could be reused for the assessment of mechanical failure of paper materials used in power transformers, see [1].