What is an insulator and what is the difference between it and insulation materials?

Insulators - A lot of disc insulators are hung on one end of the connecting tower of the High-voltage cable. They are usually made of glass or ceramics to increase the creepage distance. They are called insulators. The function of insulators is to isolate charged bodies (wires) from non charged bodies.
There are currently three types of suspension insulators and tension insulators (vertical strings) used in high-voltage transmission lines: porcelain insulators, glass insulators, and composite insulation (silicone rubber) insulators. The voltage levels are 10kV, 35kV, 110kV, 220kV, 330kV, and 550kV.
Porcelain insulators and glass insulators are made in pieces, and a certain number of pieces are connected in series according to the voltage level during installation; There are 8 pieces in a 110kV string and 15 pieces in a 220kV string. Select according to the creepage distance of the voltage level.
Composite insulation (silicone rubber) insulators are an integral structure, with several umbrella groups poured into a string to meet the creepage distance requirements of relevant voltage levels.
Insulators are mainly composed of one piece, and the number of umbrella groups and the number of umbrella groups form the specific creepage distance of different voltage levels. Therefore, 'zi' is a synonym for a unit of quantity.
The support of hard busbar (tube busbar, flat copper busbar, flat aluminum busbar) in the substation, as well as the insulators used for switchgear, are called post insulators.
Insulation material:
The commonly used insulation materials for electricians can be divided into inorganic insulation materials, organic insulation materials, and mixed insulation materials based on their chemical properties. Commonly used inorganic insulation materials include mica, asbestos, marble, porcelain, glass, sulfur, etc., mainly used for winding insulation of motors and electrical appliances, bottom plates of switches, and insulators. Organic insulation materials include shellac, resin, rubber, cotton yarn, paper, hemp, rayon, etc. Most of them are used to manufacture insulation paint, and to cover insulation materials for winding wires. Mixed insulation materials are various molded insulation materials processed from the above two materials, used as bases, shells, etc. of electrical appliances.
The function of insulating materials is to isolate charged parts with different potentials in electrical equipment. Therefore, the insulation material should first have high insulation resistance and withstand voltage strength, and can avoid leakage, breakdown and other accidents. Secondly, it has good heat resistance and avoids aging and deterioration due to long-term overheating; In addition, it should also have good thermal conductivity, moisture and lightning resistance, high mechanical strength, and convenient processing. According to the above requirements, the performance indicators of commonly used insulation materials include insulation strength, tensile strength, specific gravity, coefficient of expansion, etc.