Lightning protection

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A lightning protection system means taking precautions against the harmful effects of lightning strikes on structures . Without lightning protection, direct lightning strikes can destroy parts of buildings if, for example, water, resin or essential oils contained in building materials evaporate explosively in wood or if the heat from the electrical discharge causes fires. Lightning can also couple indirectly through its strong electromagnetic field in electrical lines or metallic parts such as pipelines within a building and cause damage. A lightning protection system cannot provide absolute protection against these undesirable effects, but it can minimize the damage and effects of lightning strikes.

Basic structure of a lightning protection system

function

Interception device in the form of a metal rod above the statue, and lightning discharge along the statue

A lightning protection system reduces the damage that lightning strikes in the object to be protected. In the event of a strike, the lightning protection system offers the lightning current a defined, low-resistance current path via the lightning rod . The primary protective function is to lead the lightning current path past the object to be protected and divert it.

The protective effect of the interception device is based on the fact that partial discharges such as corona discharges form directly above the earthed interception device due to the high edge field strength . These weak gas discharges lead, preferably at electrically conductive tips and edges, to partial ionization of the surrounding air as a result of the tip discharge on the interception device , which means that any subsequent lightning strike is more likely to strike the interception device. Lightning protection systems are designed to increase the edge field strength over the lightning rod with an end that is as pointed as possible.

By means of the concentration of the charge carriers, which are oppositely charged to the electrical charge of a cloud, the lightning strike is preferably directed into the interception device.

If lightning strikes the lightning protection system, very high currents briefly flow in the lightning rod; peak values ​​over 100  kA must be measured. These high impulse currents induce secondary voltages and currents within neighboring electrical lines such as the power supply network , telephone lines or antenna lines of the protected property, which can disrupt electrical devices connected to these electrical lines and, in borderline cases, destroy them. This effect occurs especially when the electrical lines are close to and parallel to the lightning rods.

Lightning protection classes

To assess the risk of lightning strikes in buildings, these are classified in lightning protection classes (also: hazard level). The classes reflect the expected threat from lightning strikes and the expected damage. The higher the requirements for lightning protection, the less likely the consequential damage if a damage event occurs. The lightning protection class can be determined in different ways:

  • Determination by certain regulations / sets of rules (e.g. building permit , fire protection concept , also building owner requirements )
  • Determination by assessing the risk of damage according to DIN EN 62305-2 (IEC 62305-2) by the specialist planner
  • according to VdS guideline 2010 ( risk-oriented lightning and surge protection ) of the German Insurance Association e. V. (GDV)
Hazard parameters depending on the lightning protection class
Lightning protection class Smallest peak value of
the lightning current I min in kA 		Maximum peak value of
the lightning current I max in kA		 Capture
probability 		Rolling sphere
radius 		Mesh size
external lightning protection 		Areas of application according to VdS 2010
I. 3 kA 200 kA 98% 20 m 5 m × 5 m Data centers, military areas, nuclear power plants
II 5 kA 150 kA 95% 30 m 10 m × 10 m Hazardous areas in industry and chemistry
III 10 kA 100 kA 88% 45 m 15 m × 15 m Photovoltaics> 10 kW, museums, schools, hotels> 60 beds, hospitals, churches, places of assembly> 100/200 P.
IV 16 kA 100 kA 81% 60 m 20 m × 20 m Administration, sales outlets, offices & banks <2000 m², residential buildings <20 apt., High-rise buildings <22 m

Lightning protection system

A complete lightning protection system ( English Lightning Protection System , LPS ) consists of external lightning protection, such as the lightning conductor or lightning rod, and an additional internal lightning protection, which primarily consists of surge protection .

External lightning protection

The external lightning protection offers protection in the event of lightning strikes that would occur directly in the system to be protected. It consists of an interception system, a down conductor system (both colloquially referred to as a lightning rod) and an earthing system . In an idealized building, the roof and outer walls of which are made of metal or reinforced concrete, the external lightning protection could be implemented as a Faraday cage .

Procedure for determining the protection areas

Rolling sphere method
Penetration depth p of a rolling sphere with radius r between two air-termination conductors with a distance d
Use of the rolling ball method: All red hatched areas can be touched by the ball and must be actively protected against lightning strikes. All other areas are then automatically protected.

The rolling ball method is a key method for determining entry points that could be used for a direct lightning strike and is standardized in EN 62305-3. It defines the area at risk from lightning as a sphere, the center of which is the tip of the lightning. The surface of the sphere represents an equipotential surface of an electric field . There are four lightning protection classes, each of which corresponds to different probabilities that the peak value of a lightning current is below a specified current strength. The lightning protection class of a system must be determined on the basis of a risk assessment according to EN 62305-2. A rolling sphere with a specific radius is defined for each lightning protection class:

Experience has shown that a lightning strike with a corresponding lightning protection class can occur at any point in a system that could be touched by a ball of the corresponding size. The smaller the radius of the rolling sphere is assumed, the more potential impact points are recognized. Every lightning protection system must be able to withstand a complete inspection using the rolling sphere method.

The rolling ball method can be used by rolling a ball over a scale model of the system or with the help of the geometry . For example, within the framework of the rolling sphere method, as shown in the sketch opposite, a protective space is created between two air-termination lines at height Δh and at distance d for a rolling sphere with radius r below penetration depth p .

The empirically determined probabilities that lightning does not strike the system to be protected, but is intercepted by interception devices designed according to the rolling ball method, are:

Lightning protection class Smallest peak value of the lightning current I min in kA Maximum peak value of the lightning current I max in kA Probability that the current I < I max
I. 2.9 200 99%
II 5.4 150 98%
III 10.1 100 97%
IV 15.7 100 97%

If the lightning peak currents I min are smaller than the specified , the trapping probability is lower. If the lightning peak currents I max are greater than the specified, there is a risk of damage to the object to be protected or to the lightning protection system. The most comprehensive lightning protection is given with lightning protection class I.

Protective angle method
Conical protection area around an air-termination rod

The protective angle method is a simplified method derived from the rolling ball method, which, by means of a calculated angle α, defines areas limited under the air-termination system in which a direct lightning strike is unlikely. This angle is derived from tangents to a circle with the radius of the rolling sphere and therefore depends on the height h , the upper end of the air- termination system, above the reference plane. The required height of the air-termination system can also be calculated using this angle. Interception rods - commonly known as lightning rods - and interception cables, also known as arresting ropes, are used as interception devices based on the protective angle method.

Mesh method

The mesh method is a simplified method derived from the rolling sphere method that defines a network of air-termination conductors to protect flat surfaces. The maximum mesh size depends on the required protection class according to the following table:

Lightning protection class Mesh size
I. 5 m × 5 m
II 10 m × 10 m
III 15 m × 15 m
IV 20 m × 20 m

On industrial buildings, the mesh method is usually supplemented by air-termination rods that protect components (such as air conditioning systems and roof domes) that protrude above the mesh system.

Interception systems

Interception device on a flat roof as a combination of meshes and interception rods for additional protection of protruding parts

According to EN 62305 Part 3, the task of the interception systems is to catch direct lightning strikes that would strike the building or structure without an interception system. Air-termination systems can consist of rods, wires, ropes or metal parts of the system to be protected, such as parts of metal roofs. Due to its principle, the interception device projects beyond the outer contour of the actual building.

The actual property of the interception system arises from the peak effect and the low impedance of the earthed lightning rod. The tip effect creates a high electric field strength just above the tip . The tip of the interception device should not be designed with a radius of curvature that is too small, even if the smallest possible radius of curvature results in a maximum increase in field strength in the immediate vicinity of the interception rod. Mathematically, this results in an ideal ratio of the height of the interception rod to the radius of the tip of 680: 1, which corresponds to an increase in the field above the interception device of approximately a factor of 230, in relation to the undisturbed field strength curve. If the electric field strength reaches the breakdown field strength for air, the air in the immediate vicinity is ionized and thus electrically conductive; this starts the electrical discharge. This process can also take place over several stages such as a corona discharge , historically this partial discharge is also referred to as Elmsfire in relation to thunderstorms .

The material of the interception device must be weatherproof, electrically conductive and capable of carrying lightning currents. Metals such as copper , aluminum alloy ( AlMgSi ), stainless steel (V2A) or galvanized steel are therefore used. The cable cross-section (generally 50 mm²) or diameter (at least 8 mm) must be selected so that the high instantaneous power of a lightning strike does not lead to the melting of the interception systems and the mechanical forces due to the Lorentz force do not lead to mechanical deformations at high currents . It must also be taken into account that the lightning current only flows for a few milliseconds.

In particular, exposed areas of a system that could be a direct lightning strike are often provided with interception devices or designed as interception devices. The interception systems are typically connected to one another and to the discharge system over a short distance.

and display information about the image
Air- termination system with high metal masts in an outdoor switchgear
Radioactive lightning arrester

A radioactive lightning arrester is a special version of a lightning arrester in which a radioactive substance ionizes the air around the metallic conductor through its radiation and is intended to direct the lightning onto it. As a radioactive substance, they typically contain enclosed alpha emitters such as radium-226 or americium-241 with a radioactivity of approximately 30  kBq to 70 MBq. Several of these radiation sources were mounted on an interception rod.

Radioactive lightning arrestors with alpha emitters were used in French-speaking Switzerland , in France and, under French influence, in a number of countries. B. used in Brazil and Spain . In Serbia and in all states of the former Yugoslavia gamma emitters , namely 152 Eu , 154 Eu and 60 Co with an activity of approx. 4 GBq to 20 GBq, were used, whereby only one radiation source was used per lightning rod.

However, it has never been proven that the radioactivity actually improves the effectiveness of the interception system. Lightning arrestors with radioactive radiation sources are today dismantled for safety reasons and replaced by conventional lightning arrestors.

Drainage system

The down conductor system, also known colloquially as a lightning conductor, conducts the lightning current from the interception system to the earthing system.

It consists of almost vertically guided metallic conductors which are distributed over the circumference of the structure. Separate lines as well as sufficiently dimensioned and lightning current-carrying connected metal parts of the system to be protected can be used as conductors. The conductor should run as short as possible from the interception system to the earthing system. Usually, optional lightning counters , which are used to measure the number of lightning strikes, are attached to the down conductor system.

The required number of down conductors and their maximum distance depend on the required protection class. The minimum number is determined by dividing the circumference of the outer roof edges (in meters) by 20 and increasing the result by 1. The result is rounded up or down if necessary. For buildings less than 12 m in length or width, an odd result can be reduced to the next lowest even number.

Earthing system

The earthing system conducts the lightning current into the ground. It ideally includes a foundation earth electrode . If the foundation is completely insulated, if an older building has not yet been equipped with a foundation earth or if the earth resistance is too high, the foundation earth must be replaced or supplemented with ring earth , radiation earth , plate earth , deep earth or natural earth . These must be permanently protected against corrosion and are therefore made of stainless steel V4A (material no. 1.4571) if possible . Galvanized steel can only be used for unaffected earth electrodes.

Ring earth electrodes, earthing plates and radiation earth electrodes should be inserted at least 50 cm into the ground. The depth should guarantee a sufficiently moist soil, even in dry summers, in order to keep the earthing resistance low and help to limit corrosion due to the exclusion of air. Earth rods are driven vertically into the ground and can be nine meters or longer. They are usually made of V4A stainless steel. Galvanized steel is only used when there is no risk of corrosion from alkaline or acidic soils or electrochemical corrosion.

The grounding required for connection of the derivatives for each lead in each case an upwardly guided terminal lug .

The main earthing conductor and lightning protection earth (if present) are connected to the main potential equalization so that all conductive parts of the building are at the same voltage level. Main protective conductors , main water pipes , main gas pipes , antenna poles and other touchable metal parts such as continuous banisters and elevator rails are also included in the equipotential bonding .

Internal lightning protection

Fine and device protection for two telephone lines, consisting of gas discharge tubes and varistors.
Single-pole combination arrester type 1 + 2 + 3

The overvoltage protection , which represents the internal lightning protection, is the entirety of the measures against overvoltages of various kinds. The effects of a lightning strike up to around 1.5 km away are also transferred to the installations and electrical and electronic systems of the building structure.

These overvoltages can arise in several ways:

  1. Through the direct effect of the lightning current due to a strike in the building or supply lines.
  2. Through the direct effect of the lightning current due to a strike in energy / telecommunication lines.
  3. By indirect exposure to high stresses due to a distant impact.

For the overvoltage protection of electrical equipment and devices Surge protection devices ( S urge P rotective D evices) used, which are divided into three categories according to EN 61643-11:

  • SPD type 1 (coarse protection) must be used at all entries of electrical lines in the protection area of ​​the external lightning protection. They divert the full lightning current, but leave it at an overvoltage that is dangerous for electronic devices . Type 1 SPDs consist of spark gaps built into the housing (isolating spark gaps ). The use of combination arresters (combined type 1 + 2 + 3) can be more economical. The advantages are space and cost savings compared to a comparable SPD type 1.
  • SPD type 2 (medium protection) further reduce the voltage level. They are usually used in sub-distributions in designs for top-hat rail mounting . Powerful varistors are often used for type 2 SPDs .
  • Type 3 SPDs (fine or device protection) reduce the voltage level to a level that is not dangerous for electronic devices (protection level Up (for In)). They are used as close as possible, a maximum of 10 meters, to the end devices to be protected. Type 3 SPDs are, for example, surge protection sockets and surge protection socket adapters. In this category, overvoltage protection is achieved by combining the unprotected input with gas discharge tubes , varistors and / or suppressor diodes .

Lightning protection systems for special facilities

Antennas

Antennas are objects that are particularly at risk from lightning strikes because they are functionally exposed and are electrically conductive. If lightning strikes an antenna, the lightning current is conducted without lightning protection via the antenna cable to the receiving or transmitting device. Antenna lightning protection can be implemented in various forms in the antenna feed line:

A short-circuited λ / 4 stub line (QWS) as a lightning protection element from an antenna line
  • A common form are gas discharge tubes which are attached to the antenna line. In normal operation, these do not affect the impedance of the antenna cable. Above a certain voltage, the gas arrester ignites and diverts the lightning current. The advantage is that the antenna can be operated broadband and the antenna feed line can also be subjected to a DC voltage lower than the ignition voltage of the gas conductor. This direct voltage can be used, for example, to supply power to amplifier units directly at the antenna. Because of their high capacitive component, suppressor diodes are generally not used as a protective element in the field of high frequency technology.
  • Another form of lightning protection for antennas, which in this case must be operated with a narrow band, is the installation of a stub line short-circuited at the end in the antenna feed line . This stub line must correspond exactly to the length of a quarter of the wavelength (λ / 4) and is referred to in the English-language specialist literature as the English quarter-wave shorting stub (QWS) . This stub line, which is short-circuited at the end, represents a bandpass filter and has almost no influence on the narrow-band frequency range in which the antenna is operated regularly. Due to the short-circuited stub line at the end, other frequency components, such as direct voltage and the voltage from a lightning strike, are short-circuited with low resistance.
  • Exceptions to lightning protection apply to antenna systems, for example satellite antennas, which are installed 2 m below the eaves edge and no more than 1.5 m from the house wall. This is usually the case when the antenna is attached to the balcony or by means of a wall bracket below the eaves edge.

Self-radiating transmission masts

Guy insulator with two separating spark gaps in the upper and lower inner area

Self-radiating transmission masts for long and medium wave cannot be earthed because the radio frequency energy to be radiated would flow away via the earth. Such masts have a spark gap (isolating spark gap ) on the base point insulator which ignites in the event of overvoltage caused by a lightning strike. This spark gap is set in such a way that with the voltage applied to the mast, no discharge can occur even in heavy rain. An inductance with one turn, the lightning loop, is built into the feed line to the transmitter house in order to protect the transmitter output stage from the lightning voltage.

Detuning protection monitors whether the antenna always has the correct resistance and, in the event of a lightning strike that short-circuits the transmitter output, causes the transmitter to be switched off briefly. This prevents arcs fed by the transmission power from remaining, which under certain circumstances could endanger the statics of the mast and the transmitter. Sometimes there are also UV detectors that monitor that no arcs remain. After a certain number of switch-offs, the transmitter is often switched off for a long time and the mast is automatically earthed.

For the dimensioning of the insulation of guy division insulators , the static charge during thunderstorms becomes the main criterion and not the transmission power. Since the insulators always have to be equipped with surge arresters that require maintenance, the guys are occasionally also grounded via coils, which detun the ropes, or in exceptional cases also directly. With such constructions there are only surge arresters on the mast and on the coils.

Overhead lines

Overhead lines for high voltage with nominal voltages above 110  kV are usually spanned with earth cables . Depending on the design of the metal masts, one or two earth ropes are used; in the case of substations, outdoor switchgear can also be spanned with earth ropes if necessary. In addition to lightning protection, these earth cables also serve as equipotential bonding for the discharge and compensation of earth fault currents in the event of a fault.

Cableways

Lightning struck the Eiffel Tower on June 3, 1902 at 9:20 p.m.

Like all towers and overhead lines, cable cars, especially aerial cable cars, run the risk of being struck by lightning. If lightning strikes a cable car support , directly in a gondola or in a suspension, pulling or hauling rope, equipotential bonding with the ground takes place . Cable car gondolas act like cars as Faraday cages , which means that the interior remains approximately free of the electrical field (see also Operation of vehicles during a thunderstorm ).

Supports must be earthed according to legal regulations. In the event of a lightning strike in a suspension cable , the lightning current is diverted via the metal suspension cable saddles or the anchoring; in the event of strikes in conveyor ropes and traction cables that run over rubber-lined pulleys on the masts, the current flows via the steel cables to the stations. There technical components, especially sensors and other electrical and electronic components, can be damaged by the lightning current if the wire ropes are not specially earthed in good time before the approaching thunderstorm.

The contact of the pulling or hauling ropes with the pulleys and rope deflection sheaves is not enough, because of the rubber lining, to ensure a low-resistance current path to the grounding. Although the rubber pads of the rollers and deflection discs are made of electrically conductive material to avoid the electrostatic charges that occur during regular operation and during thunderstorms , this limited conductive rubber material cannot divert stronger lightning currents.

A close contact is only possible with stationary ropes. In older cable car systems, the ropes are manually earthed with a permanently installed earthing rod before a thunderstorm ; in modern systems this can be done fully automatically. In general, earth ropes that are stretched above the route from mast to mast reduce the risk of impacts on the cable car ropes .

With steel cables, individual strands can be damaged at the point of lightning strike . Although a lightning strike has not caused any ropeway ropes to break immediately, the ropes are checked visually for possible damage from lightning strikes during regular rope checks. Other damage from lightning strikes primarily affects exposed anemometers and associated electrical lines (as well as lines for electricity, telephone, loudspeakers, data) without lightning rods nearby.

Lightning strikes in surface lifts are very dangerous, since the equipotential bonding can take place through the bodies of the more or less grounded lift users. Such systems are therefore put out of operation before thunderstorms according to the operating regulations.

Standards and guidelines

Comprehensive lightning protection is defined internationally in IEC 62305 and in Europe in EN 62305. In the German-speaking area, the EN was included in the respective national standards in accordance with the common rules of CEN / CENELEC by publishing an identical text with a national foreword.

The IEC 62305 series of standards consists of four parts:

  • Part 1: General principles
  • Part 2: Risk Management
  • Part 3: Protection of structures and people
  • Part 4: Electrical and electronic systems in structures

and Part 5, which was removed in the design phase in 2006:

  • Part 5: Services (working title, planned application were services in the telecommunications sector)

It offers an overall concept for lightning protection and takes it into account

  • the risk of lightning strikes (direct and indirect) as well as the current and the magnetic field of lightning
  • the causes of damage (voltages, sparking, fire, explosion, overvoltages, mechanical and chemical effects)
  • the objects to be protected (people, buildings, systems)
  • the protective measures such as interception devices, conductors and shielding.

The second part (EN 62305-2), which initially did not achieve the required majority in Europe, had to be published as DIN EN 62305-2; VDE 0185-305-2: 2013-02 can be reworked at CENELEC.

In Germany, DIN EN 62305 was also included in the VDE set of regulations under VDE 0185-305, because it contains safety provisions about the averting of dangers to people, animals and property. According to prevailing case law, it thus develops the presumption that it is a recognized rule of technology.

In EN 62305-4 are lightning protection zones ( english lightning protection zone , LPZ ) are defined. The classification goes from LPZ 0 for unprotected areas to LPZ 2 and higher for heavily shielded areas. Similarly, are (in the EN 62305-1 hazard level English lightning protection level , LPL ) describe from I to IV, wherein in general, the LPL II, for electronic systems, however, the LPL I is recommended.

The following standards apply in Austria in 2013:

  • ÖVE / ÖNORM E 8049-1 (lightning protection of structures) and the current successor regulations
  • ÖVE / ÖNORM EN 62305-1: Lightning protection - Part 1: General principles
  • ÖVE / ÖNORM EN 62305-2: Lightning protection - Part 2: Risk management
  • ÖVE / ÖNORM EN 62305-3: Lightning protection - Part 3: Protection of structures and people
  • ÖVE / ÖNORM EN 62305-4: Lightning protection - Part 4: Electrical and electronic systems in structures
  • ÖVE / ÖNORM EN 50164 - series (lightning protection components)

history

Artist's impression of Benjamin Franklin's experiment in 1752, in which he allegedly let a kite soar on a wire into a storm cloud
Drawing of the lightning rod erected in October 1781 on the tower of Hainewalde Castle

From the time before the 18th century there is magical "lightning protection". Until the first renovation of the spire in 1840, there were four deer antlers on the tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna , which were supposed to serve this purpose.

Benjamin Franklin is considered to be the inventor of the lightning rod , who in the 1740s was interested in the then newly emerging subject area around electricity . After his theory, expressed in 1749, that lightning strikes were nothing more than electrical sparks, i.e. a form of electric arc on a huge scale, in June 1752 he proposed an experiment that was similar in structure to a lightning rod: during a thunderstorm, a kite should soar on a metal wire and be struck by lightning, the metal wire was supposed to transfer the charge to the ground, where it could be stored, for example with an early design of a capacitor , the so-called Leiden bottle , and the electrical voltage on the capacitor could be determined as a result. With the experimental setup, Franklin proved that lightning represents electrical charges. Whether Franklin carried out this experiment himself or even let a kite fly himself, as was later rumored, is highly controversial. He was very well aware of the danger of the experiment.

After his experiments in 1752, during which he installed early lightning protection devices at his home and the Philadelphia Academy , which he founded , and with the help of which he also examined the polarity of thunderclouds, in 1753 he put his effectiveness to the public in his journal Poor Richard's Almanack reviewed procedure for building protection against lightning strike. In the following years, however, Franklin still had to correct mistakes, for example he had initially underestimated the importance of correct earthing.

The phenomenon of lightning has also been eagerly studied in Europe. In the 1750s, the French physicist Jacques de Romas actually conducted the kite experiment in person. In 1753 Georg Wilhelm Richmann died of a lightning strike during a similar attempt. The Bohemian Premonstratensian friar Prokop Diviš , who had been pursuing his own theories about electricity for a long time , also heard about it . In 1754 he built a device to prevent thunderstorms in his parish garden in Přímětice . With his "weather machine" Diviš pursued the goal of preventing thunderstorms as large as possible; The pastor's project was not intended to be an actual lightning rod. Diviš's theories were also dismissed by other scientists who dismissed him as a fantasy; Due to a lack of support from church superiors and the Viennese court, to whom he turned, Diviš had to give up his experiments around 1760.

Outdated theories are occasionally spread by frontier scientists that ancient cultures had already erected lightning rods. These are usually misinterpretations of inscriptions or the remains of the monuments in question. In addition, the Russian nobleman and metal magnate Akinfi Nikititsch Demidow equipped the Leaning Tower of Nevyansk, built by him between 1721 and 1735, with an iron frame and metal roof that goes down to the ground, which in combination with a gold-plated, hollow metal ball on the top of the tower also functions as a Lightning arrester - whether this property was consciously used in the construction and thus anticipated Franklin's invention is a matter of dispute today.

In the 18th century, Giambatista Beccaria in Italy in particular made a contribution to the early distribution of lightning rods.

The first lightning rod in Germany was installed on the Hamburg main church St. Jacobi in 1769. In 1779 the Lower Saxon university town of Rinteln was surrounded by a wreath of seven free-standing lightning rods that were supposed to completely protect the town. In 1787 , the first lightning rod in Switzerland was built at Villa Lindengut in Winterthur , which is now the town's local museum.

However, the lightning rod was introduced relatively simultaneously in many places in Germany, so AT von Gersdorff reports in the Oberlausitzer Provinzialbl Blätter about the construction of a lightning rod in Oberrengersdorf in 1772. This was done as part of the detailed description of the construction of a lightning rod for the tower of Hainewalde Castle , which took place in 1782.

In southern Germany, Johann Jakob Hemmer , head of the physical cabinet at the court of Elector Karl Theodor in Mannheim , developed the "Hemmerschen Fünfspitz". A lightning strike in the royal stables of Schwetzingen (1769) seems to have been the reason why the well-known polymath Hemmer also dealt with the need for lightning protection and invented and introduced the five-point lightning rod, characterized by a vertical rod and a horizontal cross. The first hemming type lightning rod was installed on April 17, 1776 at the castle of Baron von Hacke in Trippstadt / Pfalz. Further development was accelerated by an ordinance from Elector Karl Theodor, who in 1776 stipulated that all castles and powder towers in the country were to be equipped with lightning rods. In the following years, a further electricity frenzy spread in Germany, which led to the "Hemmerschen Fünfspitze" being more and more popular. A use of the horizontal ray cross could never be proven. The construction therefore ultimately had no influence on the technical development of lightning protection.

During Benjamin Franklin's visit to Paris from 1776 to 1785, the enthusiasm of the population in the better-off circles led to lightning rods in French fashion , although their protective function was never proven.

literature

  • Fridolin Heidler, Klaus Stimper: Lightning and lightning protection . Basics of the VDE 0185 series of standards - Formation of thunderstorms - Lightning detection systems - Lightning currents and their effects - Protection of buildings and electrical systems. VDE-Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-8007-2974-6 .
  • Association of German Lightning Protection Companies V. (Hrsg.): VDB lightning protection assembly manual on CD . Cologne 2009.
  • DEHN + SÖHNE (ed.): BLITZPLANER® . 3rd updated edition. 2013, ISBN 978-3-9813770-0-2 ( dehn.de [PDF]).
  • Peter Hasse, Johannes Wiesinger: Manual for lightning protection and earthing - with 33 tables . VDE-Verlag, Offenbach 1993, ISBN 3-7905-0657-5 .
  • Ernst Ulrich Landers, Peter Zahlmann: EMC - lightning protection of electrical and electronic systems . Risk management, planning and execution according to the latest standards of the DIN EN 62305-x (VDE 0185-305-x) series. VDE-Verlag, Offenbach 2013, ISBN 978-3-8007-3399-6 .

Historical literature

  • Benjamin Franklin: Experiments and Observations on Electricity . London 1769 ( full text in Google Book Search [accessed March 27, 2017]).
  • Louis Figuier: Exposition et histoire des principales découvertes scientifiques modern . tape 4 . Langlois et Leclercq, Paris 1857 ( full text in Google book search [accessed on March 28, 2017]).
  • Louis Figuier: Les Merveilles de la science ou description populaire des inventions modern. Volume 1, Furne, Jouvet et Cie, Paris 1867, chapter Le Paratonnerre. Pp. 491-597; in the French Wikisource
  • 1781: Nikolaus Anton Johann Kirchhof (partial translation) of James Ferguson's lectures: Description of equipment that sensually proves the attractive force of the earth against the thundercloud and the usefulness of the lightning rod . Nicolai, Berlin 1781 ( digitized version )
  • 1783: J. Langenbucher: Correct terms from Blitz u. of lightning rods. , Augsburg 1783
    • Rules of conduct in case of thunderstorm near; 2nd edition, with a copper, Gotha 1775
  • 1786: AG Wetzel: Abhandlg. about electricity and lightning discharge. , 1786
  • Dietrich Müller-Hillebrand : The Protection of Houses by Lightning Conductors. To Historical Review. J. Franklin Institute, 273, 1962, pp. 35-44
  • Karl-Heinz Hentschel: Small cultural history of the thunderstorm. Article from March 1993 (online) [accessed March 29, 2017]

Web links

Commons : Lightning Rod  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Lightning rod  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lightning protection classes, In: www.Obo.de
  2. ↑ VdS 2010. Retrieved on March 2, 2019 .
  3. ↑ DIN EN 62305-3; VDE 0185-305-3: 2011-10: 2011-10 Title (German): Lightning protection - Part 3: Protection of structures and people (IEC 62305-3: 2010, modified); German version EN 62305-3: 2011 DIN EN 62305-3. beuth.de, October 2011, accessed on March 15, 2012 .
  4. ^ CB Moore, William Rison, James Mathis, Graydon Aulich: Lightning Rod Improvement Studies . In: Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Ed.): Journal of Applied Meteorology . tape 39 , no. 5 , April 10, 1999, p. 593-609 ( lightning.org [PDF]).
  5. ↑ a b c d Johann Pröpster: Lightning protection systems - business area for plumbers (PDF) p. 52, magazine sbz 13/1999
  6. ↑ Hansruedi Völkle: Radium-containing lightning rods in western Switzerland . Ed .: Federal Office of Public Health, Bern and Physics Department of the University of Friborg, Switzerland. doi : 10.5169 / seals-308881 .
  7. ↑ Lightning protection. Lightning EMP protectors with quarter-wave shorting stub (QWS). Firmenschrift Huber + Suhner, 2016, pp 12-14 , accessed on 23 April 2018 .
  8. ^ Thorsten Sinning, "Installing Satellite Systems", publisher si2.de, Aachen, 1st edition 2013, ISBN 978-3-00-040746-8 .
  9. ↑ Reinhard Fischer, Friedrich Kießling: Overhead lines: planning, calculation, execution . 4th edition. Springer, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-97924-8 , Chapter 7: Earthing and earth wire protection.
  10. ↑ As an example, the Implementing Regulations (AB) for the regulations for the construction and operation of cable cars, page 40 - Bavarian State Ministry for Economics, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology ( Memento of the original from March 6, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link became automatic used and not yet tested. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. PDF, accessed July 20, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.stmwivt.bayern.de
  11. ↑ Product specification for cable car insert rings ( memento of the original from May 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.semperform.com
  12. ↑ Stephanie Woodbury: Lightning and Methods of Protection. (PDF) (No longer available online.) OITAF-NACS, 2004, formerly in the original ; Retrieved March 15, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / adr.coalliance.org  
  13. ↑ Food for thought on fulfilling the function of monocable gondolas . Wolfurt 1997, ISBN 3-9500815-1-8 ( shrani.si [accessed March 16, 2012]).
  14. ↑ 3.1 - Checking the rope .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) In: Lecture documents for cable car construction at the Institute for Railway Engineering a. Transport Economics of the Graz University of Technology, WS 2011, p. 21 f .; Retrieved July 21, 2012.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.ebw.tugraz.at  
  15. ↑ IEC 62305: 2013 Series - Protection against lightning - All parts. IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), 2013, accessed February 20, 2017 .
  16. ↑ Christian Bouquegneau: The Lightning Protection International Standard IEC 62305. (PDF) ICLP 2006, p. 3 , accessed on February 20, 2017 .
  17. ↑ HUSS Medien GmbH (Ed.): Elektropraktiker , February 2016, ISSN  0013-5569
  18. ↑ The new lightning protection standards. of the DIN EN 62305 series (VDE 0185-305). (No longer available online.) German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies of DIN and VDE, October 19, 2011, archived from the original on May 5, 2012 ; Retrieved March 15, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dke.de
  19. ↑ International working environment. (No longer available online.) German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies of DIN and VDE, October 19, 2011, archived from the original on February 6, 2012 ; Retrieved March 15, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dke.de
  20. ↑ Landers, Zahlmann: EMV - lightning protection of electrical and electronic systems in building structures, VDE-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-8007-3399-6 , p. 51
  21. ↑ Examination standards for the certification examination according to § 4a SDG, section: "65.92 lightning protection systems, lightning protection material" , Main Association of Court Experts , Vienna, Austria, October 2013
  22. ↑ Christian Kayser: The spire of the St. Stephen's Tower in Vienna - a lost monument . In: INSITU 2019/1, pp. 109–132 (113, with illustration).
  23. ↑ Johann Christoph Adelung : Grammatical-critical dictionary of the High German dialect . 2nd Edition. Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf und Compagnie , Leipzig 1793 ( zeno.org [accessed on April 17, 2019] lexicon entry "Lightning rod").
  24. ^ Conversations Lexicon . Concise concise dictionary for the subjects arising from the sciences and arts in social entertainment with constant consideration of the events of the older and more recent times. 1st edition. Kunst- und Industriecomptoir, Amsterdam 1809 ( zeno.org [accessed on April 17, 2019] Lexicon entry “Lightning rods”).
  25. ↑ Marcus W. Jernegan: Benjamin Franklin's "Electrical Kite" and Lightning Rod . In: The New England Quarterly . tape 1 , no. 2 , 1928, p. 180-196 , doi : 10.2307 / 359764 .
  26. ↑ Benjamin Franklin and Lightning Rods ( Memento from January 10, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  27. ^ Karl Vocelka : Splendor and Fall of the Courtly World. Representation, reform and reaction in the Habsburg multi-ethnic state. In: Herwig Wolfram (Ed.): History of Austria 1699–1815. Vienna 2001. p. 269 f.
  28. ↑ Christa Möhring: A story of the lightning rod. The derivation of lightning and the reorganization of knowledge around 1800 . (PDF) Dissertation, pp. 83-105
  29. ^ Karl Bornemann: Procop Diwisch. A contribution to the history of the lightning rod . In: The Gazebo . Issue 38, 1878, pp. 624–627 ( full text [ Wikisource ]).
  30. ^ Alfred Wiedemann: The old Egypt. Heidelberg 1920, p. 413, books.google.de
  31. ^ Werner Lorenz, Bernhard Heres: The Demidov ironworks in Nevyansk (Ural mountains) - Iron structures in building from the first half of the 18th century . (PDF)
  32. ↑ Johann Matthäus Hassencamp : Of the great use of the beam arrester, and their most advantageous device for the protection of entire cities , Rinteln 1784
  33. ^ Provincial sheets , or collections on the history of natural history, morals and other sciences . Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences , Leipzig / Dessau 1782, p. 388 ff.
  34. ↑ Directory of a book = collection from various subjects of the sciences together with a strong appendix of fiction works, which on March 21, 1836 ... , Nuremberg 1834., 64 p. Google Books p. 23, position 637
  35. ↑ Directory of a book = collection from various subjects of the sciences together with a strong appendix of bellitristic works, which on March 21, 1836 ... , Nuremberg 1834., 64 p. Google Books p. 37, position 1078