Front Matter

The latest in electrical insulating materials is presented in 16 papers addressing four major areas: standards, properties of electrical insulating fluids, fire properties, and electrical issues. Standards address the history of ASTM Committee D-9 on Electrical and Electronic Insulating Materials and D-27 on Electrical Insulating Liquids and Gases and their respective roles in the electrical industry. Additional papers discuss the development of standards by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and IEC Technical Committee 89 on Fire Hazard Testing. Electrical Insulating Fluids covers issues such as the development of a fully biodegradable dielectric fluid; case histories on the removal of transformers from service; analytical techniques to test for moisture; new tests for diagnosing faults in high-voltage transformers; and specifications for electrical insulating mineral oils. Electrical Tests deals with test methods for properties of electrical interest. The section discusses a method for assessing disruptive discharge in liquid and gaseous insulation and standardized testing procedures in partial discharge measurement, which includes about 60 references and compares methods from ASTM, IEC, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. A study is also presented on accelerated aging of organic electrical insulating materials, particularly those used at elevated service temperatures. Fire Issues addresses the response of electrical materials and products to fire including the flame retardancy of various nylon and poly insulation materials; ways of decreasing the mass and volume of electrical cabling systems; and a review of fire tests for electrical materials and products in the U.S. and internationally.For electrotechnical, electrical, electronics (and plastics) professionals.