YOU'VE BEEN THUNDERSTRUCK !!

[Dolphin]

You're right Tom.
IF there are any sharp turns in the lightning conductor it forms a high inductance at the leading edge of the lightning pulse. The sharp bend is very important.
Another thing is the lightning conductor ideally should be made of flexible braided cable to get the maximum skin effect. At higher frequencies the current tends to flow on the outside of the conductor. A flat strip once again is not ideal but it is very practical. That is why they use it on buildings. In a power course I did with Tafe the engineer said "Nothing will protect a direct strike". THat is why the substations have bullet proof glass in the windows. The surge diverters will explode.

In a previous life I was a Technician on a 10 mega volt particle accelerator at ANSTO. We used to make our own lightning ! When we had a tank spark it would kill equipment connected to the building wiring not associated directly with the accelerator. It only had 1 Kilojoule of energy at maximum voltage. A pussy compared to what God can do
Respect a storm, I always do.
The chain on the shroud is not for me, it may not do much, but it is better than nothing and gives my wife a restful nights sleep.

[storm petrel]

Good points Greg! The rise time is pretty quick for lightning and the inductance caused by a bend could produce huge voltages, but like you I still like to see a chain hanging in the water from the rigging when there is lightning about.

[DESIREMK1]

Hi Greg ,

Reading of bullet proof glass in sub-stations reminded me of a storm event that took place in Western Sydney back around 1992 , when I was sitting under my parents Patio one afternoon their was slight rumbling in the background with moisture in the air . Sitting their enjoying the oncoming spectacle of thunder and lightning in the area , when I saw a rather large bolt hit directly in line with our house though around 1 kilometre away , then soon followed by another about the same distance away to the south . This is when I started to feel eerie and went inside to tell my father , sister and her boyfriend ( now husband ) that I believed we were about to get hit by lightning to which they just thought I was being erational , so I went back out under the patio to further enjoy the spectacle .

Sitting there for about 30 seconds when a brilliant flash of light caught my eye from the corner of the house . Followed by a rather large thunder clap , which made me run inside due to the overwhelming of my senses . My sister and her partner were standing by the side window in the dining room when the lightning struck a tree we had at the side of the house , ricocheting of the tree and hitting the side window bowing the pane of glass in and giving them an forgettable taste of Mother Natures Fury !!! .

So being able to predict a lightning strike , was an act that I have been unsuccessfully trying to follow up with Lotto Strike !!! ( lol )

Brad
DESIREMK1