Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Epoxy/Micro-and Nano-Mixed Silica Composites for Insulation Materials of Heavy Electric Equipment

A 10 nm nano-silica was introduced to a conventional 3 mu m micro-silica composite to develop an eco-friendly new electric insulation material for heavy electric equipment. Thermal and mechanical properties, such as glass transition temperature (Tg), dynamic mechanical analysis, tensile and flexural strength, were studied. The mechanical results were estimated by comparing scale and shape parameters in Weibull statistical analysis. The thermal and mechanical properties of conventional epoxy/micro-silica composite were improved by the addition of nano-silica. This was due to the increment of the compaction via the even dispersion of the nano-silica among the micro-silica particles.