Materials used in high voltage applications have to meet a lot of regulations for their safety and functional usage during their lifetime. For high voltage applications the electrical properties are the most relevant designing criteria. However, the mechanical properties of such materials have rarely been considered for application dimensioning over the last decades. This article gives an overview of composite materials used in high voltage applications and some basic mechanical and thermo-mechanical characterization methods of such materials, including a discussion of influences on practically used epoxy based thermosets.
Keywords: bending; dynamic mechanical analysis; impact behavior; tensile; thermosets.