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• Artificial pollution flashover tests have been utilized under ac voltage to investigate the impact of uniform and FSNU pollution on flashover voltage of composite insulators. • Morphological effects of multi-stress aging have been carried out by the SEM analysis. • The effects of contamination roughness and extension on flashover voltage of the polymeric insulators have been conducted. • Simultaneous presence effect of non-uniform pollution and multi-stress aging on the flashover voltage of polymeric insulators has been analyzed. Pollution deposition along with ultraviolet (UV) radiation and electro-thermal stress cause the composite insulators to face with critical conditions. The type of pollution which settles on insulators is not only uniform but also it can be non-uniform and uneven. In this study, the results of the uniform and fan-shaped non-uniform (FSNU) pollution tests on four various types of virgin and aged polymeric insulators under AC voltage are presented. To find the effects of accelerated aging on polymer chains of composite insulators, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is carried out. Based on IEC 60507, the solid layer method is applied to settle pollution on the insulator surface. The results demonstrate that the flashover voltage of virgin and also aged samples decreased when pollution non-uniformity degree (J) increases from 1 to 13. The flashover voltage of studied insulators is reduced by increasing the occupation ratio (K). However, the impact of K was lesser than J on flashover voltage of the polymeric insulators. Investigated polymeric insulators have been aged up to six weeks (1000 h). Although the influence of two weeks (333 h) accelerated aging on flashover voltage and morphology of the composite insulators was not tangible, therefore flashover strength of the samples is decreased while the aging period time increases. Statistical analysis has been done to estimate the flashover voltage of accelerated aged composite insulators under uniform and FSNU pollution based on virgin insulators. The research aimed to select insulators in windy and sunny areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]