Effects of thermal cycles on interfacial pressure in MV cable joints

The use of medium voltage cable joints is mandatory when dealing with power cable faults and the installation of new lines. However, such an accessory is among the top causes of faults among the grid. To this purpose, one of the quantities monitored to understand the causes of such faults is the interfacial pressure between the insulating layers of the cable joint. In this work, the interfacial pressure between Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and silicon rubber has been evaluated when the cable joint experiences thermal cycles. From the results, the pressure variation caused by the thermal cycles is demonstrated. Such a phenomenon may be connected to the generation of voids and weak spots that accelerate cable joint ageing. Therefore, proper comments and conclusions are drawn.