Suppression effect of ATH filler on the erosion of filled silicone rubber exposed to dry band arc discharge

This paper describes the results of experiments made to examine the suppression effect of alumina trihydrate (ATH) filler on the erosion of filled silicone rubber(SR) exposed to dry band arc discharge. In this study, one simulated electrolyte electrode system was used to generate the dry band arc discharge and the eroded mass of SR filled with 0-50 wt% ATH was measured. Thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) was applied to study the thermal characteristics of filled SR and clarify the suppression mechanism of ATH on the heat erosion. In addition, physicochemical analyses on the degraded specimens were carried out by using the techniques of Fourier transformed infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after the heat treatment caused by arc discharge. It is demonstrated that the erosion of filled SR due to dry band arc discharge can be well suppressed through the dehydration of ATH filler and the depression effect of ATH filler on erosion can be improved with increase of filler content.