Electrical insulating properties of bamboo and effect of water absorption on them

In recent years, many measures have taken to reduce the environmental load in various fields. We considered that bamboo fiber can be used, if combined with solidified water (ice), as a substitute for glass fiber in GFRP for electrical insulating systems in the cryogenic region. To use bamboo as an electrical insulating material, it is important to clarify the insulating properties of bamboo. We have been studying the effect of water absorption and field direction on ac breakdown of the bamboo-ice composite system at liquid nitrogen temperature. The ac breakdown strength increases with increasing water content because the vessel is filled with solidified water (ice). The insulating properties of the bamboo-ice composite system are closely related to the structure of bamboo and water distribution in it. In our paper, we report the effect of water absorption on the conductivity of bamboo.