Some cases polymer i.e rubber sheets are used as insulator. People assumes that rubber is an insulator. rubber can be made insulator or conductor.

 

My question is what is the minimum gap required to use it as best insulator( for DC application)?

 

What is the evidence?

A lot of ifs in that question, the more amps (i think) the thicker the rubber has to be, extreme high amps can jump a huge gap, rubber or not. Low amps can be insulated by your own skin. I'm not sure there is a precise "answer" to your question. I think we would need more information about the exact conditions of the experiment.

Edited June 17, 201114 yr by Moontanman

Some cases polymer i.e rubber sheets are used as insulator. People assumes that rubber is an insulator. rubber can be made insulator or conductor.

 

My question is what is the minimum gap required to use it as best insulator( for DC application)?

 

What is the evidence?

You are correct in saying the electrical properties of rubber varies. Therefore your question cannot be properly answered. If you Google "electrical resistivity and conductivity" you will soon find some facts and figures including those for hard rubber.

I basically agree with moontanman with one exception. He should have said voltage where he says amps. Using the water analogy, where pressure represents voltage and water flow represents electrical current in amps, it is the pressure in a water pipe that might burst it and not the flow of current through it. Similarly it is the voltage difference across an insulator that might cause it to break down, not the current through an insulated conductor.

You are correct in saying the electrical properties of rubber varies. Therefore your question cannot be properly answered. If you Google "electrical resistivity and conductivity" you will soon find some facts and figures including those for hard rubber.

I basically agree with moontanman with one exception. He should have said voltage where he says amps. Using the water analogy, where pressure represents voltage and water flow represents electrical current in amps, it is the pressure in a water pipe that might burst it and not the flow of current through it. Similarly it is the voltage difference across an insulator that might cause it to break down, not the current through an insulated conductor.

 

 

Thanks for the correction, i wasn't sure off the top of my head which one it was.