The Insulation Laboratory has comprehensive testing and evaluation facilities for solid insulating materials and systems. Insulating materials are evaluated and tested for electrical, mechanical, physical and electro-chemical properties.The Insulation laboratory has specialized facilities and expertise for accelerated ageing and corrosion resistance studies of Dielectric materials. 

Test Facilities Available:

I. Apparatus/Equipment for Electrical Test

• AC Dielectric Strength/Breakdown Voltage Test apparatus up to 100kVAC
• High resistance meter up to 10¹⁴ Ohms
• Insulation Tester (kW-GW)
• Micro-Ohm Meter (μW-mW)
• Power frequency capacitance and dissipation factor measuring bridge
• High frequency capacitance and dissipation factor measuring bridges
• Electrometer

II. Apparatus/Equipment for Mechanical Tests

• Universal Testing Machine upto 50KN ( with controlled temperature -70° C to 200° C)

           (Tensile, Compression, Flexural/ Cross breaking, Adhesive strengths tests)

• Impact Tester (Izod and Charpy method)
• Vertical drop impact tester

III. Apparatus/Equipment for Electro-chemical Tests

• Automatic Tracking Index Analyzer up to 1000VAC
• Automatic Arc resistance tester
• Liquid contaminant tracking and erosion test equipment
• Inclined plane tracking and erosion test equipment along with data acquisition system
• Xenon arc Weather-O-meter
• Weathering test using Fluorescent UV Lamp
• Cyclic Corrosion Test Equipment

IV. Other Facilities

• Environmental Chamber (-40° C to 180°C)
• Air circulating oven (Up to 300°C)
• UV-visible spectroscopy

Additional Information: Weathering using Fluorescent UV Lamp can be carried out on Electrical Insulation of composite insulator materials, telecom cable sheathing material, plastics, coating etc as per various Standards Viz. ASTM G151, ASTM G154, ASTM D 4329, ASTM D 4587, ASTM 5208, ISO 4892-1, ISO 4892-3, ISO 11507 etc.

Additional Information:Cyclic Corrosion Test can be carried out for Aerial bunched Cable accessories, any metal accessories, Metals, coatings, paints, plastics reinforced with metal inserts etc. as per various Standards Viz. ASTM B117, NF C 33-003, BS EN 50483 Parts 2,3,4&6, DIN 50018, IEC 60068-2-11, IEC 60068-2-52, ASTM D1735, ASTM D2247, EN ISO 3231, HD323.2.11, ISO9227, DIN EN ISO 6270-2, ASTM 5894 etc.  

AREAS OF WORK:

• Electrical, mechanical and chemical tests on various solid insulating materials like polymeric materials, Insulating coatings, paper, press board, epoxy glass materials, laminates etc.,
• Electrical and mechanical tests on conductor, Armour wire etc
• Tests on enamelled/winding wires including endurance tests
• Electrical tests on cable filling compound, capacitor fluids etc.
• Electrical tests on polypropylene, polyester, kapton, Teflon films
• UV Radiation
• Environmental Conditioning of insulating materials
• Life evaluation studies on insulating materials
• Weather ageing studies
• Corrosion test for galvanized and non-galvanized materials