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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Evaluation Of Constant Voltage Chamber Modifications, Justin Dekany
Evaluation Of Constant Voltage Chamber Modifications, Justin Dekany
Senior Theses and Projects
Determining the electrical properties of highly insulating materials can be a challenging task. These materials are designed to greatly resist the flow of electrical current making them useful in the construction of spacecraft. Due to the fact that satellites are isolated from ground, charging caused by the plasma environment found in typical orbital radii (1) is of concern to the designers of modern spacecraft (2). The Utah State University Materials Physics Group Constant Voltage Chamber (CVC) has been designed to measure extremely low currents and low conductivity. Over the last five years, many changes have been made to improve the …
The Effect Of Voltage Ramp Rate On Dielectric Breakdown Of Thin Film Polymers, Anthony Thomas
The Effect Of Voltage Ramp Rate On Dielectric Breakdown Of Thin Film Polymers, Anthony Thomas
Senior Theses and Projects
Electrical insulators are used in many applications in industry, education and the home environment. They work by keeping electricity contained. They are not however perfect and under stress can become ineffective. Every insulator has a dielectric strength, a measurement of how much electrical stress it can withstand. If the material is stressed beyond that strength the material will breakdown. Electrostatic breakdown is defined as “the abrupt irreversible drop in resistivity at high fields, often accompanied by destruction of the material” (See Fig. 1) [McGraw-Hill]. The point at which the material breaks down is called the electrostatic discharge breakdown voltage, or …