Surface tracking and erosion is an irreversible degradation occurring on the insulator surface, and this can ultimately lead to failure of the insulator. Polymeric materials such as silicone rubber have many advantages; including a superior hydrophobic surface. However, polymers are exposed to ageing and degradation resulting from electrical and environmental stresses. The rotating wheel dip test is adopted to conduct a comparative study of surface conduction on the two insulators. A conventional design has been selected and compared with insulators having textured surface. Monitoring of the shed surface and insulator trunk using an IR camera were carried out to assess the temperature distribution along insulator profiles. A spatial analysis was also performed to identify key features of the two designs. Localised surface conductance measurements are proposed in this study. This helps to understand and distinguish the trends of conductance and its distribution on each surface, helping to predict the future surface degradation associated to each design.

表面跟踪和腐蚀是在绝缘子表面上发生的不可逆退化，最终可能导致绝缘子失效。聚合材料（例如硅橡胶）具有许多优点；包括优异的疏水性表面。然而，聚合物暴露于由电和环境应力引起的老化和降解。采用旋转轮倾角试验对两个绝缘子的表面传导进行比较研究。选择了常规设计并将其与具有纹理表面的绝缘子进行比较。使用红外热像仪对棚表面和绝缘子干线进行监控，以评估沿绝缘子轮廓的温度分布。还进行了空间分析以识别这两种设计的关键特征。这项研究提出了局部表面电导测量。这有助于理解和区分电导率及其在每个表面上的分布的趋势，有助于预测与每个设计相关的未来表面退化。