Title of Invention | "A METHOD OF PREPARING A SEALING MORTAR FOR METAL PARTS OF A HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL INSULATOR MADE OF GLASS OR OF PORCELAIN" |
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Abstract | The method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator (1) comprising a glass or porcelain skirt (2), a metal cap (4), and a metal pin (6) comprises the step consisting in sealing the cap (4) and the pin (6) respectively to said skirt (2) of the insulator (1) by means of a sealing mortar. The sealing mortar is obtained by mixing aluminous cement with sand to form a dry mix, and then by mixing the resulting mix with water. Silica fume is also dry-mixed with the cement and sand, and, prior to mixing the mix with water, an aqueous solution containing a hydrosoluble dispersant containing carboxylic functions and polyether chains is added to said water. |
Full Text | A METHOD OF PREPARING A SEALING MORTAR FOR METAL PARTS OF A HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL INSULATOR MADE OF GLASS OR OF PORCELAIN The invention relates to a method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator comprising a glass or porcelain skirt or "shed", a metal cap, and a metal pin, in which method the cap and the pin are respectively sealed to said skirt of the insulator by a sealing mortar, the sealing mortar being obtained by mixing aluminous cement with sand to form a dry mix, and then by mixing the resulting mix with water. In particular, the invention relates to suspension and anchoring insulators, and more particularly to "cap-and-pin" insulators, such an insulator comprising an insulating skirt made of a dielectric material such as a toughened glass or a porcelain, which skirt has a top portion fastened in a metal cap by means of a binder or of a sealing mortar based on aluminous cement, and in which skirt a metal pin is fastened by the same sealing mortar. Once assembled, such suspension insulators are designed to be fastened together by fastening the pin of one insulator to the cap of an adjacent insulator so as to constitute a string of insulators used as a support for high-voltage and medium-voltage electricity lines. Such insulators can be subjected to very severe climatic and mechanical conditions, and they require good sealing between the skirt and the pin, and between the skirt and the cap. For example, Patent Document FR 2 031 985 discloses an electrical insulator comprising a metal cap and a metal pin, together with a bell and a dish that are made of glass or of porcelain. Firstly, the pin is sealed into the bell with a cement mortar, and secondly, the cap is engaged onto the dish. It is thus necessary, in addition, to unite the bell and the dish with a cement mortar in order to obtain the insulator. Conventionally, in order to prepare a sealing mortar, sand and aluminous cement are mixed. The resulting mix is then mixed with water to obtain the sealing mortar that is deposited on either side of the skirt so as to seal one side of the skirt into the cap, and so as to seal the other side of the skirt onto the pin. Methods of manufacturing mortar are known in which a cement, sand, and silica fume are dry-mixed, and then the resulting mix is mixed with water to which an admixture is added. For example, in Patent Document US 2007/0228612, a water reducer of the polycarboxylate type is added to the water so as to reduce the water content, and, in Patent Document US 5 466 289, a dispersant of the vinyl copolymer type is added. Unfortunately, the resulting mortars are based on Portland cement and are not of sufficient quality to seal an electrical insulator. An object of the invention is to propose a method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator as described above, in which method a sealing mortar is used that is of very limited porosity, offering very high mechanical strength. To this end, the invention provides a method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator comprising a glass or porcelain skirt, a metal cap, and a metal pin, in which method the cap and the pin are respectively sealed to said skirt of the insulator by means of a sealing mortar, the sealing mortar being obtained by mixing aluminous cement with sand to form a dry mix, and then by mixing the resulting mix with water, said method being characterized in that silica fume is also dry-mixed with the cement and sand, and in that, prior to mixing the mix with water, an aqueous solution containing a hydrosoluble dispersant containing carboxylic functions and polyether chains is added to said water. Said silica fume makes it possible advantageously to increase the compactness of the mortar, and said aqueous solution containing a hydrosoluble dispersant containing carboxylic functions and polyether chains, which solution is also referred to as a "glucose aqueous solution", makes it possible to improve the wetting power of the water so that it is possible to reduce the quantity of water added to the mortar and thus to reduce the porosity of the mortar. Thus the improved compactness combined with the lower porosity of the mortar obtained by using the method of the invention generate, in complementary manner, an increase in the mechanical strength of the mortar. Numerous tests have been conducted for preparing a sealing mortar, which tests have led to a sealing mortar having very good mechanical strength, very good compactness, and very low porosity relative to sealing mortars of other compositions. In particular, tests have been conducted with a similar composition but without silica fume or without aqueous solution, which tests have not given satisfactory results- The method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator of the invention may have the following features: the mass of aluminous cement represents approximately in the range 50% to 80% relative to the total mass of the sand and cement mix, the mass of sand represents approximately in the range 20% to 50% relative to the total mass of the sand and cement mix, the mass of silica fume represents approximately in the range 2% to 10% relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar, the mass of water represents approximately in the range 17% to 27% relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar, and the mass of said aqueous solution represents approximately in the range 0.2% to 0.5% relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar; • relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar, the mass of silica fume preferably represents about 6%, the mass of water preferably represents about 22%, and the mass of aqueous solution preferably represents about 0.25%; • said cement contains an alumina content lying in the range 30% to 75%; • said sand has a grain size centered on a value lying approximately in the range 200 micrometers (urn) to 300 urn. The invention also provides a high-voltage insulator comprising a glass or porcelain skirt, a metal cap, and a metal pin, in which insulator the cap and the pin are respectively sealed to said skirt of the insulator by means of a sealing mortar prepared using the above method. The invention is described below in more detail and with reference to the accompanying drawing that shows a non-limiting example of the invention, and in which: • the sole figure is a diagrammatic view of a high- voltage insulator. The sole figure shows a high-voltage insulator 1 comprising a skirt 2 made of glass or of porcelain, a metal cap 4 connected to a top portion 3 of the skirt 2 by means of a mortar 5, and a metal pin 6 connected in a cavity 7 of the skirt 2 inside said top portion 3 of the skirt 2 by means of the mortar 5 that is identical to the mortar in the cap 4. In order to prepare the mortar 5 of the invention, firstly a dry mix of aluminous cement, of sand, and of micrometric silica fume is prepared in a standardized mixer (e.g. a mixer complying with Standard NF EN 196-1) for a length time lying in the range 1 minute to 10 minutes. In this dry mix, the cement represents approximately in the range 50% to 80% of the total mass of the mix of sand and of cement, the sand represents approximately in the range 20% to 50% of the total mass of the mix of sand and of cement, and the mass of silica fume or micro-silica represents approximately in the range 2% to 10% of the mass of cement alone, and preferably about 6%. Preferably, the cement is chosen from among aluminous cements, also known as "high-alumina cements" or as "Ciment Fondu", having alumina content lying approximately in the range 30% to 75%. The sand is preferably fine sand of controlled grain size that is centered on a value lying approximately in the range 200 um to 300 urn. Since the silica fume is of much smaller size than the particles of cement and than the grains of sand, said silica fume makes it possible to fill any interstices remaining between the particles of cement and the grains of sand, in a manner similar to cement that, in known manner, fills the interstices between grains of sand, thereby making it possible to increase the compactness of the mortar. Then, water containing a glucose aqueous solution is added to the dry mix, and the mixing is resumed for a length of time lying in the range 1 minute to 15 minutes. Preferably, the glucose aqueous solution is an aqueous solution containing a hydrosoluble dispersant containing carboxylic functions and polyether chains at about 30% of dry extract. Such a solution is, for example, described in Patent Document FR 2 776 285. In the method of the invention, the glucose aqueous solution acts as a plasticizer and makes it possible to improve the wetting power of the water. In this way, it is possible to reduce the quantity of water added to the mortar, and thus to reduce the porosity of the mortar, thereby increasing the mechanical strength thereof. Preferably, the ratio of the mass of water to the mass of cement lies approximately in the range 17% to 27% and preferably about 22%. The glucose aqueous solution is added to the water in a proportion lying approximately in the range 0.2% to 0.5% of the mass of cement alone, and preferably about 0.25%. At the outlet of the mixer a moist mortar paste is obtained that is metered out before being fed into the skirt 2 of the insulator 1. It can be understood that the quantity of mortar is metered out accurately depending on the size of the insulator. In order to assemble an insulator 1 of the invention, mortar is prepared as described above, and firstly a metered quantity of mortar 5 is fed into the cavity 7 of the top portion 3 of the skirt 2. The pin 6 is then inserted into the mortar 5 while applying vibration to the assembly, so that the pin 6 penetrates into the mortar until it comes into abutment against the end-wall of the cavity 7. Another metered quantity of mortar 5 is then deposited in the cap 4 and the top portion 3 of the skirt 2 is inserted into the cap 4 while also applying vibration so as to facilitate putting the skirt 2 into place in the cap 4. It can be understood that it is also possible to put the cap 4 on the skirt 2 first, and then to put the pin 6 in the skirt 2. The operations of assembling the metal pin 6 and the metal cap 4 to the skirt 2 may also be simultaneous. Finally, the mortar is set by immersing the assembly formed by the skirt 2, by the cap 4, and by the pin 6 into a bath of water, preferably a bath of hot water at a temperature lying approximately in the range 50°C to 70°C for a length of time lying approximately in the range 60 minutes to 120 minutes. It is also possible to immerse the mortar in a bath of water at ambient temperature for a length of time lying in the range 8 hours to 24 hours. Once set in this way, the mortar is left to cool in the surrounding air at ambient temperature. EXAMPLE: Mechanical strength tests were conducted on mortars based on aluminous cement and prepared using the following protocol: • dry-mixing cement and sand, and, where applicable, silica for one minute; and • adding mixing water and, where applicable, glucose solution, and then mixing for 4 minutes. The mechanical strength tests were conducted after the mortars had been treated to set in water at 55°C for 1 hour (hr) and 30 minutes (mins), and then cooled in air at 20°C for 1 hr. The mechanical strengths were measured on testpieces of dimensions 4 centimeters (cm) * 4 cm * 16 cm fabricated on a standardized NF EN 196-1 shock table. Table 1 gives the results of the bending strength and compression strength tests for a mortar prepared using the method of the invention, for a conventional mortar without any admixture, and for other test mortars. As appears from Table 1, the composition for a sealing mortar of the invention (row 2 of Table 1) procures much better strength, both in bending and in compression, than the reference composition without any admixtures (row 1) and than the compositions with silica fume only (row 3) or with glucose aqueous solution only (row 4). Table 1 (Table Removed) CLAIMS 1. A method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator (1) comprising a glass or porcelain skirt (2), a metal cap (4), and a metal pin (6), in which method the cap (4) and the pin (6) are respectively sealed to said skirt (2) of the insulator (1) by means of a sealing mortar, the sealing mortar being obtained by mixing aluminous cement with sand to form a dry mix, and then by mixing the resulting mix with water, said method being characterized in that silica fume is also dry-mixed with the cement and sand, and in that, prior to mixing the mix with water, an aqueous solution containing a hydrosoluble dispersant containing carboxylic functions and polyether chains is added to said water. 2. A method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator (1) according to claim 1, in which method the mass of aluminous cement represents approximately in the range "50'% to 80% relative-to the total mass of the sand-and-cement mix, the mass of sand represents approximately in the range 20% to 50% relative to the total mass of the sand and cement mix, the mass of silica fume represents approximately in the range 2% to 10% relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar, the mass of water represents approximately in the range 17% to 27% relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar, and the mass of said aqueous solution represents approximately in the range 0.2% to 0.5% relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar. 3. A method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which, relative to the mass of said cement alone in the mortar, the mass of silica fume preferably represents about 6%, the mass of water preferably represents about 22%, and the mass of said aqueous solution preferably represents about 0.25%. 4. A method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator (1) according to any preceding claim, in which said cement contains an alumina content lying in the range 30% to 75%. 5. A method of fabricating a high-voltage insulator (1) according to any preceding claim, in which said sand has a grain size centered on a value lying approximately in the range 200 µm to 300 µm. |
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Patent Number | 271153 | ||||||||
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Indian Patent Application Number | 529/DEL/2010 | ||||||||
PG Journal Number | 06/2016 | ||||||||
Publication Date | 05-Feb-2016 | ||||||||
Grant Date | 04-Feb-2016 | ||||||||
Date of Filing | 09-Mar-2010 | ||||||||
Name of Patentee | SEDIVER SOCIETE EUROPEENNE D'ISOLATEURS EN VERRE ET COMPOSITE | ||||||||
Applicant Address | 79 AVENUE FRANCOIS ARAGO, 92017 NANTERRE CEDEX, FRANCE | ||||||||
Inventors:
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PCT International Classification Number | C04B35/50; | ||||||||
PCT International Application Number | N/A | ||||||||
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