The objective of this study was to determine the cause of the failure in service of a polymeric insulator used in a 138 kV transmission line (TL). The study was conducted following the most usual recommended methodology for failure analysis, metallurgical characterization and chemicals tests. The tests identified that the mechanism of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) was responsible for the insulator´s brittle fracture. This mechanism is often associated with the existence of flaws in polymeric insulators compounds (epoxy resins reinforced with boron rich glass fibers) in the presence of moisture. The tests revealed that the design characteristics of the insulator were inappropriate because they allowed the penetration of moisture into its lower termination and subsequent contact with the GRP (glass reinforced polymer) core, leading to its disruption. These results led to the replacement of all insulators with similar characteristics by the electric power transmission utility.
failure analysis; polymeric insulator; SCC
