Silicone rubber is a synthetic organic material with excellent physical and electrical properties. Ceramics / porcelain have good hydrophilic, because ceramics / porcelain and water belong to the inorganic matters .
Insulators made of silicone rubber have good hydrophobicity. Raindrops falls more easily on silicone insulator surface than on the surface of porcelain insulator. And filth also lost faster than porcelain insulator. In light rain, when water volume is not big, the filth on silicone insulator surface will be washed away, but this does not happen to porcelain insulator.
Due to the effect of hydrophobicity, the filth dissolution rate on silicone insulator surface is obviously much lower than that of porcelain insulator. On the surface of silicone insulator, the dissolution rate of electrolytes is greatly slowed down, some electrolytes begin to be gradually lost before all electrolytes are dissolved.
The advantages of silicone insulator's hydrophobicity:
1. The distribution of water droplets separated from each other on the waterborne surface greatly improves the surface resistance and restrains the surface leakage current.
2. With the reduction of effective pollution, the pollution involved in conducting on the surface of the silicone insulator at any time is significantly reduced.
The hydrophobicity of silicone insulators will gradually decrease and even temporarily lose when they are affected with moisture for a long time. However, in the process of gradually decreasing hydrophobicity due to dampness, the loss of the dirty part on the surface of the silicone insulator is beneficial to improve its pollution flashover resistance to a certain extent. At this time, the reasonable shape of the shed on its dirty performance is very important.