Electrical and Optical Properties

  • Christopher Hall
Chapter

Abstract

As polymer materials have developed, their excellent and sometimes outstanding dielectric properties have guaranteed their widespread use as insulants in electrical and electronic engineering. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries electrical apparatus relied on wood, cotton sleeving, natural waxes and resins and later ebonite as insulating materials. Today a number of polymers including PTFE, PE, PVC, EP and MF offer an unrivalled combination of cost, ease of processing and electrical performance. These materials have played a most important part in the evolution of electrical components and equipment. Most electrical properties are determined largely by primary chemical structure, and are relatively insensitive to microstructure. In consequence the electrical behaviour of polymers is generally less varied than the mechanical behaviour. The same can be said of the optical properties, which nevertheless govern a variety of engineering end-uses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Suggestions for Reading

Electrical Properties

  1. ANSI/ASTM D149-75, Dielectric breakdown voltage and dielectric strength of electrical insulating materials at commercial power frequencies (American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa.).Google Scholar
  2. ANSI/ASTM D257-76, D-C resistance or conductance of insulating materials (American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa.).Google Scholar
  3. ASTM D150-74, A-C loss characteristics and dielectric constant (permittivity) of solid electrical insulating materials (American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa.).Google Scholar
  4. Baird, M. E., Electrical Properties of Polymeric Materials (The Plastics Institute, London, 1973).Google Scholar
  5. Blythe, A. R., Electrical Properties of Polymers (Cambridge University Press, 1979).Google Scholar
  6. Bruins, Paul F., (Ed.), Plastics for Electrical Insulation (Interscience, New York, 1968).Google Scholar
  7. BS 4618: Part 2: 1970, Electrical properties.Google Scholar
  8. Buckingham, K. A., ‘Electrical properties’, in R. M. Ogorkiewicz (Ed.), Thermoplastics: Properties and Design, chap. 7 (Wiley, London, 1974).Google Scholar
  9. Harper, C. A., ‘Electrical applications’, in Encyclopaedia of Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 5, pp. 482–528 (Wiley, New York, 1966).Google Scholar
  10. Harrop, P., Dielectrics (Butterworths, London, 1972).Google Scholar
  11. Ives, G. C., Mead, J. A., and Riley M. M., ‘Electrical properties’, in Handbook of Plastics Test Methods, chap. 10 (Iliffe, London, for The Plastics Institute, 1971).Google Scholar
  12. Mathes, K. N., ‘Electrical properties’, in Encyclopaedia of Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 5, pp. 528–628 (Wiley, New York, 1966).Google Scholar
  13. Norman, R. H., Conductive Rubbers and Plastics (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1970).Google Scholar
  14. O’Dwyer, J. J., The Theory of Electrical Conduction and Breakdown in Solid Dielectrics (Oxford University Press, 1973).Google Scholar
  15. Schmitz, John V., (Ed.), Testing of Poly mers, vol. 1, chaps. 5–9 (Interscience, New York, 1965).Google Scholar
  16. Seanor, Donald A., ‘Electrical properties of polymers’, in A. D. Jenkins (Ed.), Polymer Science, vol. 2, ch. 17 (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1972).Google Scholar
  17. Sillars, R. W., Electrical Insulating Materials and their Application, IEE Monograph Series 14 (Peter Peregrinus, Stevenage, for The Institution of Electrical Engineers, 1973).Google Scholar
  18. Solymar, L., and Walsh, D., Lectures on the Electrical Properties of Materials (Oxford University Press, 1970).Google Scholar
  19. Williams, M. W., ‘Dependence of triboelectric charging of polymers on their chemical compositions’, Rev. Macromol. Chem., 14B, (1976) 251–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Wintle, H. J., ‘Theory of electrical conductivity of polymers’, in M. Dole (Ed.), The Radiation Chemistry of Macromolecules, vol. 1, pp. 109–126 (Academic Press, New York, 1972).Google Scholar

Optical Properties

  1. ANSI/ASTM D1 003-61, Haze and luminous transmittance of transparent plastics (American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa.).Google Scholar
  2. ANSI/ASTM D523-67, Specular gloss (American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pa.).Google Scholar
  3. BS 4618: Section 5.3: 1972, Recommendations for the presentation of plastics design data: optical properties.Google Scholar
  4. Hunter, R. S., and Boor, L., ‘Tests for surface appearance of plastics’, in John V. Schmitz (Ed.), Testing of Polymers, vol. 2 (Interscience, New York, 1966).Google Scholar
  5. Ives, G. C., Mead, J. A., and Riley, M. M., ‘Optical properties’, in Handbook of Plastics Test Methods, chap. 16 (Iliffe, London, for the Plastics Institute, 1971).Google Scholar
  6. Kuske, A., and Robertson, G., Photoelastic Stress Analysis (Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1974).Google Scholar
  7. Meinecke, E., ‘Optical properties: survey’ in Encyclopaedia of Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 9, pp. 525–551 (Wiley, New York, 1968).Google Scholar
  8. Redner, S., ‘Optical properties: photoelasticity’, in Encyclopaedia of Polymer Science and Technology, vol. 9, pp. 590–610 (Wiley, New York, 1968).Google Scholar
  9. Ross, G., and Birley, A. W., ‘Optical properties of polymeric materials and their measurement’, J. Phys. D.: Appl Phys., 6, (1973) 795–808.CrossRefADSGoogle Scholar
  10. Ross, G., and Birley, A. W., ‘Optical properties’, in R. M. Ogorkiewicz (Ed.), Thermoplastics: Properties and Design (Wiley, London, 1974).Google Scholar
  11. Wright, W. D., Measurement of Colour, 3rd edn (Hilger & Watts, London, 1964).Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Christopher Hall 1981

Authors and Affiliations

  • Christopher Hall
    • 1
  1. 1.Institute of Science and TechnologyUniversity of ManchesterUK

Personalised recommendations