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DTIC ADA232915: Multifactor Stress Aging of Electrical Insulation

Capacitor-grade polypropylene films were aged under multiple stresses (electrical, thermal, radiation) using a 2MW thermal nuclear reactor. Thermal and electrical stresses were found to slightly decrease both the AC and DC breakdown voltages. Radiation stresses were found to increase the breakdown voltages. The same trends were seen in volume resistivity. The radiation effects dominate both the thermal and electrical effects and are attributed to increased crystallinity of the polypropylene. However, mechanical properties are significantly degraded by radiation damage, and degree of breakdown enhancements are seen for combined stresses. Computer simulation has been performed showing the magnitude of the neutrine signal from a 100 kilocurie tritium source, under the geometrical conditions of the experiments at Los Angeles National Laboratory, TA-33, is about an order of magnitude smaller than the gravity signal from a 2600 gr mass (the assumed value for the mass of the source). The observations were performed by using Professor Joe Weber's torsion balance, a room-temperature instrument.

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