The function and working principle of lightning rod

In a thunderous weather, have you ever thought about such a question: Why in a thunderstorm weather, all kinds of trees, especially those in open areas, are always vulnerable to lightning strikes and break or catch fire, while some high-rise buildings Is the material struck by thunder and lightning frequently, but can it stand upright and unscathed? Is it just because buildings are stronger than trees? To answer this question, we have to talk about a common "artifact" in our lives-lightning rods. So what is the main function of lightning rod? Is it because lightning rods and related lightning protection facilities are installed so that lightning will avoid this building?

The working principle of lightning rod

Now people have a clear understanding of the working principle of lightning rods. Lightning rods and related lightning protection facilities are usually composed of three parts: grounding body, grounding down conductor and air-termination device. Generally, the air-termination device adopts round steel or steel pipe with a length of 1-2 meters and a diameter of 15-20 mm, which is fixed on the upper end of the pillar, and is connected to the grounding body through the grounding down conductor. When encountering rain and snow, some high-rise buildings can induce a large amount of positive charges in the charged clouds. When the thundercloud discharges close to the ground, it will distort the ground electric field. In this short discharge process struck by lightning, huge electrical energy is instantly converted into energy such as light and heat, which leads to the destruction of buildings. The working principle of the lightning rod is that the top of the lightning rod is designed to be pointed. When the tip of the lightning rod is electrostatically induced, a large amount of electric charge will be accumulated. The lightning rod and these clouds form a path between the lightning rod and the charged cloud layer, thereby actively attracting lightning to discharge the lightning rod. When a lightning rod higher than a building is installed, the field strength at the lightning rod is extremely large due to the tip discharge effect, which will only discharge between the charged cloud layer and the lightning rod, thereby effectively preventing lightning damage to the building.

The main function of lightning rod

Through the above simple introduction about the working principle of lightning rods, we can know that the real role of lightning rods is not to protect from lightning but to induce lightning. The installation of lightning rods and related lightning protection facilities in buildings mainly have the following two functions. The main function of the lightning rod is first to protect against direct lightning strikes: it is mainly to prevent lightning from directly hitting buildings. For example, some high-rise buildings must be equipped with lightning rods or other lightning protection facilities to reduce the process of the huge current that is generated during a lightning strike and leaking into the ground along with the building and reduce the damage to the internal space of the building. The second is the protection of induced lightning: Inductive lightning is the phenomenon that electromagnetic induction generated by lightning strikes on the metal object line of the building, and the phenomenon of destroying electronic components occurs. The main function of lightning rods is to protect household appliances and weak current equipment. In addition, the installation of a leakage protector can also protect home appliances, and it must be grounded for lightning protection. If a lightning strike occurs on a concrete pillar on a floor, the current may be conducted along with the metal inside the building to the ground. If the residential floor does not have the necessary lightning rods and related lightning protection facilities, the energy generated by the lightning current cannot be effectively released, then the floors it passes through will have a certain degree of danger, which will directly or indirectly cause the electrical system of the building or floor. A certain degree of damage. Therefore, in the event of thunderstorms, indoor household appliances must be cut off in time, which can effectively protect people's lives and property.

Tags: Working principle of lightning rod, main function of lightning rod, lightning rods, and related lightning protection facilities