Dielectric Strength of Kenaf/Glass Fiber Reinforced UP Hybrid Composites used as Insulator

Ceramic insulators are usually consisting of polymeric housing material, metal end fittings, and core. The core part, commonly made from glass fiber reinforced polymer is intended to withstand the mechanical strength and to function as an insulator. Given the daily rising concern about changing climate, researchers and manufacturers pay attention to degradable natural fiber to replace the non-degradable synthetic fiber. Kenaf fiber has shown some considerable improvements when it is used as a replacement for glass fiber due to its excellent toughness and high aspect ratio for a wide range of applications. The hybridization of natural fiber with synthetic fiber has become a significant research topic over the recent decade. However, the dielectric strength of the bio-composite was affected by hybridization. This paper discusses the dielectric strength of kenaf/glass fibers hybrid composite reinforced unsaturated polyester UPE used as an insulator in high voltage transmission lines. The composite rods were fabricated by using three volume fractions of kenaf fiber (20%, 30% and 40%) to replace glass fiber as reinforcement. Three arrangement profiles of kenaf/glass fibers hybrid composite reinforced UPE were fabricated with a 24.7 mm circular cross-section. The results showed that the hybridization decreased the dielectric strength of the composites. The dielectric strength of the hybrid composite was influenced by the volume fraction of fibers and the arrangement profile. The 30KGPE hybrid composite material showed the highest dielectric strength (2.73 kV/mm) while the GUPE (control) composite materials had the lowest value with (1.30kV/mm).