[TowerTalk] Insulators

[Pat Barthelow]

From: "Ron Todd" <ron at k4wz.com>
Does anyone know what the rating is on the insulators that the power company 
uses so far as how much tention that can be put on them ?
The ones I have are about 4 foot long.
Thanks    K4wz

Hi Ron,

I had some of the chains of disk ceramic insulators, some years back, and 
printing,  etched into the ceramic disks were load ratings, I think they 
were 10,000 lbs.   I was surprised at how high the load capacity was.   It 
appeared that there was some sort of epoxy between the galvanized steel 
links, and the ceramic disks, at the center clevis pin to ceramic junctions.

By the way, these kinds of insulators are the frequent insulator source of 
radio noise, and are being replaced gradually with something called an 
epoxilator, a different design that does not have clevis pin links between 
metal parts.   The Radio noise generation mechanisms involve corrosion, and 
looseness in the clevis pin connections with the galvanized structural 
hardware--- Not dirt or grime, etc on the ceramic insulator surfaces.

You might be able to find similar load data etched on the ceramic parts of  
your insulators.


Sincerely, Pat Barthelow     aa6eg at hotmail.com
http://www.jamesburgdish.org
Jamesburg Earth Station  Moon Bounce Team