Simulation design and 3D-printing fabrication of conductivity graded insulator

Abstract

In this paper, a novel +45° insulator is proposed. The insulator has a conductivity graded structure in which the high conductivity part performs as a shield to reduce the electric field concentration at anode triple point and along surface. Hence, the surface electrical withstanding strength would be enhanced. Computer aided simulation is performed to investigate the electric field distribution with different shape parameters of high-conductivity area and an electric field optimized insulator design is thus obtained. A Fused Deposition Modeling 3D printing technique is adopted to fabricate the conductivity graded insulator. The wide application of 3D printing in insulator fabrication is expected for its ability to fabricate special functional structure and high fabricating efficiency. Flashover tests are to be conducted to investigate the electrical withstanding performance of such insulators.