Overview of Common Tests of Magnet Wire
2017-05-12
Overview of Common Tests of Magnet Wire
There are broad three categories of tests of
magnet wire: acceptance, maintenance and fault location test, to ensure a quality performance.
An acceptance test is to detect insulation or shipping damage that might affect wire or cable performance after insulation but before use.
A maintenance test is to detect in-service deterioration of wire or cable after it is put into use.
A fault location test ascertains the exact failure site in the wire or cable, which permits the wire or cable to be repaired or replaced as necessary.
Here are some common test methods of magnet wire:
1. Megger Testing
Megger is a registered trademark of Megger Limited Group, but this term is widely used for all similar tests regardless of wire manufacturer. The megger test is to test the insulation properties of electrical wiring, motor windings high-power antenna mounts, when enameled wires are used for these purposes.
2. Hipot Testing
Hipot test means high potential test. It is the test of acceptance and maintenance and is usually used on cables rated 5-35 kV and higher. Like the megger test, this testing device applies DC voltage to a cable and measures current leakage through the insulation. Because this test involves potential lethal high voltage, it must be conducted only by qualified personnel.
3. Continuity Testing
The continuity test can be used for acceptance, maintenance or fault location test. It is probably the easiest and least expensive test method available, so it can be used for testing almost every type of wire and cable except optical fiber. In this test, a handheld multimeter conducts the test by employing the resistance setting to check the wire or cable for accidental contact due to damaged or defective insulation of metal conductor. A multimeter can also be employed to check for broken conductors along the cable’s length.
4. Thumper Testing
A thumper is a kind of fault location device by applying a brief high-voltage pulse to a cable to pinpoint the exact cable failure site. At the point of cable failure, the injected energy is released with a loud bang like a firecracker.
