الفهرس 
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Abstract
The most important requirement for a power distribution system is effective insulation since a reliable power supply depends heavily on the quality of the insulation. In recent decades, polymer insulators have been increasingly popular and acceptable for use in high voltage insulation. The significant benefits that a polymeric insulator provides are lightweight, enhanced efficiency in a polluted environment, ease of handling, and hydrophobicity.
Among polymers, Silicone Rubber (SiR) is frequently used as a result of its superior dielectric properties combined with excellent thermal stability, excellent UV resistance, and ability to function well under polluted conditions. However, it struggles with poor tracking resistance and more expensive than other insulating materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE). Instead, Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) possesses excellent tracking resistance, behaves well under humidity and high temperatures, very good dielectric strength, and cheaper than (SiR). Nevertheless, it is less thermally stable and more sensitive to UV light and pollution than SiR. The blending of the two aforementioned polymers has gained considerable importance to achieve property enhancement regarding mechanical strength, resistance to UV radiation, oxidation and ozone, thermal stability, hydrophobicity, and economic advantages. So, the usage of SiR/EPDM blend has been expanding steadily for several decades in a variety of industrial fields.
It was discovered that the integration of inorganic-based additives into polymer compounds was a good way to create high voltage insulators with better electrical, mechanical and thermal properties. Recent years have experienced a surge in enthusiasm for incorporating nanoscale fillers into polymeric materials, therefore nanocomposite technology has been evaluated for utilization as high voltage insulators.
Nanocomposites are a type of material with tailored properties that have a composite structure. Lewis was the first one who originally introduced the idea of a nanometric dielectric and identified its superior insulating capabilities. The nanofillers should be uniformly distributed throughout the polymer matrix and typically range in size from 1 to 100 nm and content from 1 to 10%. This type of polymeric insulator is gaining popularity because it frequently exhibits notable improvements in electrical , mechanical, and thermal properties over the base polymer.
In nanocomposites, there is a very large interface between the filler and the host polymer, called the interaction zone, and it has different properties than the particles and the host polymer. This intermediate phase has a significant proportion of the total volume of the material and can markedly impact the material properties.
Several studies have been conducted on EPDM/SiR nanocomposite, where they all agreed on the change happened to the properties of the composite after adding the nanofillers. Previous researches have centered on only compounding of EPDM and SiR with an equal ratio of 50:50. They also explored nanofillers other than that utilized in this study such as organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT), titanium dioxide (TiO2), boron nitride (BN) and silicon carbide (SiC), carbon black (CB), and Layered Silicate.
The performance of different weight percentage combinations from SiR/EPDM composites doped with various contents of micro and nano silica (SiO2) using two roll mill was examined for the purpose of figuring out the optimal composition. The impact of (micro/nano) SiO2 on the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of polymer blends will be investigated. Tensile strength and percentage elongation at break were tested to assess the mechanical properties of the blends. The thermogravimetric analysis was performed to examine the thermal stability of the composites. The dielectric strength of the composites was also measured and statistical analysis via Weibull was used to analyze the findings.