Electrical behaviour and structure of water trees in relation to their propagation

In order to understand the propagation mechanisms of water trees it is essential to have a good knowledge of their microscopic structure. The question of the nature of the damage undergone by the polymer in water treeing has been much debated for a long time. Only recently, some authors assert that a water tree is made of channels [1], some others report that only microcavities have been observed [2].

[1]  J. Filippini,et al.  Effect of Frequency on the Growth of Water Trees in Polyethylene , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation.

[2]  J. Filippini,et al.  Some mechanical aspects of the propagation of water trees in polyethylene , 1982, Conference on Electrical Insulation & Dielectric Phenomena - Annual Report 1982.

[3]  J. Saetbak.  A Theory of Water Tree Initiation and Growth , 1979, IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems.