Industry Standards for Insulation Material Testing

Overview

The Industrial Revolution brought an increased demand of standardization in manufacturing processes and product. Later, various organizations such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) were formed, and international industry standards have been created taking account into technological trends. Standards about insulation material testing were also developed and are widely used today. 
Here we introduce standards for insulation material testing. 

Standards for insulation material testing

Insulation materials are used in a wide range of applications and are crucial for electrical isolation within systems. These materials can be solid, semi-solid, or liquid. Testing involves applying a DC voltage and measuring the current that flows through the material being tested. This process requires a super megohmmeter, or electrometer, along with a measurement electrode. Testing standards may outline specific test conditions, the shape of the test sample, and the dimensions of the measurement electrode. This is particularly important when comparing test results using measurement instruments from various vendors, or when comparing measured values with data from manufacturers' datasheets, as opposed to comparing data using the same equipment, such as internal evaluations of material performance with various formulations.
Below are several standards for insulation material testing. 

  • 1.Solid materials
    • IEC 61340-2-3/JIS C 2170: Methods of test for determining the resistance and resistivity of solid planar materials used to avoid electrostatic charge accumulation
    • JIS K 6911: Testing methods for thermosetting plastics
    • JIS K 6271: Rubber, vulcanized or thermoplastic-Determination of resistivity- Part 1: Guarded-electrode system

  • 2.Liquid materials
    • JIS C2101: Testing methods of electrical insulating oils

  • 3.General
    • ASTM D257: Standard Test Methods for DC Resistance or Conductance of Insulating Material

Measurement electrodes

Below are the industry standards HIOKI’s measurement electrodes mainly refer to. 

Measurement electrodeStandards
SURFACE/VOLUME RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT ELECTRODE SM9001IEC 61340-2-3, JIS C 2170
PLATE SAMPLE ELECTRODE SME-8310JIS K 6911, JIS K 6271
LIQUID SAMPLE ELECTRODE SME-8330JIS C 2101
WEIGHT ELECTRODE SME-8320*JIS K 6911

*: Used with the SHIELDING BOX SME-8350.

Summary

Standards organizations were established and created various standards, including standards for insulation material testing. They are prepared by the material under test and outline details about test conditions and a test setup. 
HIOKI provides both super megohm meters and measurement electrodes for testing insulation materials.
For detailed product information, please visit our website. 
For a demonstration or consultation on a specific application, please contact us.

To understand more about resistivity and resistance measurement, check out our reading recommendations below.

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