Effect of Thermo-Oxidative Ageing on Environment-Friendly Polypropylene-Based Cable Main Insulation Materials

Abstract This paper selects two types of polypropylene/elastomer blended commercial cable main insulation materials. Accelerated thermo-oxidative aging experiments at 135° C are carried out. The influence of thermo-oxidative aging on the macroscopic morphology, physicochemical properties, dielectric loss, frequency breakdown field strength and other parameters of the two types of polypropylene insulation is compared and analyzed. The evolution of the electrical performance of polypropylene blended insulation under thermo-oxidative aging is revealed. The test results show that at higher temperatures, low-melting-point elastomer may agglomerate and migrate, leading to the destruction of the sea-island structure of polypropylene and elastomer, resulting in a decrease in the tensile properties of polypropylene blended insulation.