Cooling of polymer products is often a problematic manufacturing stage as
it introduces residual stresses into the material. In particular, for high voltage
cable insulation the knowledge of such stresses is desirable as it inuences both
mechanical and electrical properties of the cable. It is widely known that electrical
breakdown strength is inuenced by the mechanical stress. But electrical
breakdown strength is also inuenced by the presence of voids or other defects,
the formation of which is related to the buildup of residual stresses during manufacturing.
During installation or repair of a cable, residual stresses may cause
problems at cable joints or terminations, since the insulation tends to shrink back
in the axial direction on the conductor. This phenomenon is commonly referred
to as shrink-back in the industry and there is a m