For the optimal design of a ceramic electric insulator, the drying and structural analyses are performed. The heat and moisture movements in green ceramics caused by the interaction of temperature gradient, moisture gradient, conduction, convection, and evaporation are considered in the hygro-thermal analysis. The finite element method for solving the temperature and moisture distributions, which not only change the volume but also induce the stress, is employed. Also, the structural analysis of the ceramic insulator supporting the electric cable weight is carried out using a finite element code, in which axi-symmetric structural and interface elements describe the material behavior to external loads. Based on the drying and structural analyses, the guidelines of precise design of ceramic insulators were prepared and the new geometry of ceramic insulator was proposed by virtue of computer aided design.

Keywords: Finite element simulation, Ceramic drying analysis, Ceramic structural analysis, Ceramic electric insulator, Computer aided design