Study on Mechanical Properties of Fallen Suspension Porcelain Insulator using FEM Analysis

Porcelain insulators are basic and important insulation components on overhead transmission lines, in which mechanical deterioration can pose serious threat to the safety and stability of power grid in China. In this paper, the mechanical characteristics of a fallen large-tonnage porcelain insulator are investigated with respect to frontal, back and side falling scenarios. The stress and deformation of porcelain insulator are calculated by the finite element method under free falling motion and rigid ground boundary conditions. The results reveal that the porcelain disc is more easily to be damaged in the side and frontal falling scenarios, while the steel cap is more easily to be damaged in the back falling scenario. In comparison, the steel foot as well as cement has much lower risk of damage in all falling scenarios.