Insulation Resistance: Measuring Leaky Wires

May 10, 2018 Michael Traskos

Wire insulation integrity is a fundamental part of wire performance. Without it, the safety and reliability of a wire is significantly reduced. Over the years, the industry has developed dozens of insulation integrity assessment methods. Among the range of tests that exist in the world of wiring, one of the tests that is often misunderstood […] Read more

Insulation Resistance – Connectors

This test examines the insulation resistance between connectors pins and the resistance between pins and the connector shell. This test is necessary to identify any manufacturing defects or specimen contamination. The pass/fail criteria conditions for this tests are connector specification specific and have a pin-to-pin and pin-to-shell resistance over 1MOhm. Read more

Insulation Resistance

This test determines the insulation resistance of a finished wire sample. Insulation resistance is of interest in high impedance circuits and as an insulation process quality control test. When used as part of a wire/cable environmental testing, prolonged thermal exposure, and/or extended high voltage testing, changes in the insulation resistance can be used as an […] Read more

Resistance to Oil: Insulation and Sheath

This method is intended for use in determining the effect of oil on oil-resisting insulation and sheath of insulated wire and cable. The procedure may be used for determining the resistance of insulation and sheath to oil at any desired temperature. The tensile strength and elongation, or other characteristic used for determining the degree of […] Read more

High Voltage, Low Current Material Arc Resistance Testing

July 26, 2024 Megan Chambellan

Long-term exposure to high-voltage can cause an insulating material to break down and, over time, even form conductive paths along its surface. The ASTM D495 test method is a preliminary assessment of an insulating or dielectric materials’ resistance to carbon arc tracking. In this article, we discuss this test method as well as the impact and limitations of the provided results. Read more

Resistance to Electrical Arcs

When wires are damaged in in service electrical arcing may occur, current “jumping” across a gap that would normally be insulated buy distance or an insulating material. This electrical activity can further damage the wire and potentially damage surrounding wires, cables, equipment, structure, and fuel lines. Arcing is often associated with severe electrical failure and […] Read more

Resistance to Flame Propagation

This test evaluates the ability of cable insulation to resist flame propagation when exposed to fire; for a high quality cable insulation, the flame should extinguish quickly and not spread along the length of the cable. A flame is applied to a finished cable affixed in the test apparatus and maintained for 30 seconds. Upon […] Read more

Resistance to Hot Water

This test evaluates the ability of a wire or cable to withstand extended exposure to hot water while connected to a relatively low voltage source. A coiled test sample is secured into a saltwater bath maintained at 85 degrees Celsius; both exposed ends of the sample remain outside he water bath. One exposed end is […] Read more

Weathering Resistance

The weathering resistance test exposes wire specimens to UV light and condensation and evaluates for any effects on the insulation. Results of this test are particularly useful for components intended for use in an outdoor environment where conditions of varying UV light and condensation may be present Specimens are subject to 120 cycles of UV […] Read more

Insulation Volume Resistivity

The insulation volume resistance test verifies that the amount of leakage current from a wire sample is within the acceptable range for a particular application by determining the resistivity of the insulation sample. The test sample is submerged in a tap water bath within 250mm of each end. A DC voltage is applied between the […] Read more

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