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Three-dimensional optical microscopy of water trees in polyethylene

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Abstract

Polyethylene is used as high-voltage electrical insulation in cable, and fails when subjected to the combination of water environment and electrical field. The three-dimensional microstructure of water trees, which are precursors to dielectric breakdown, has been revealed with laser scanning confocal optical microscopy. Two-dimensional images which represented optical serial sections were recorded in digital form, and reconstructed in a computer to produce three-dimensional views of the microstructure. Both stereo pairs and computed tomographic reconstructions were made. The material was stained with a fluorescent dye and the fluorescent image was compared to the standard unstained image. The dye was found to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and improve the quality of the image significantly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Engineering, University of Western Ontario, N6A 5B9, London, Ontario, Canada

    D. M. Shinozaki

  2. Advanced Microscopy and Imaging Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, State University of New York, 14260, Buffalo, NY, USA

    P. C. Cheng

  3. AT Plastics Inc., L6W 3G4, Brampton, Ontario, Canada

    S. Haridoss

  4. Imaging Research Laboratories, The J. P. Robarts Research Institute, N6A 5K8, London, Ontario, Canada

    R. Mitchell & A. Fenster

Authors
  1. D. M. Shinozaki
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  2. P. C. Cheng
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  3. S. Haridoss
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  4. R. Mitchell
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  5. A. Fenster
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Shinozaki, D.M., Cheng, P.C., Haridoss, S. et al. Three-dimensional optical microscopy of water trees in polyethylene. J Mater Sci 26, 6151–6160 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01113898

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01113898

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