LIGHTENING AND ITS

EFFECTS ON BUILDINGS
Lightning, as the name implies, is a dazzling (extremely bright) flash of light created by
electrical discharges that occur all over the world, whether in urban areas, rural areas or
even in open fields. In theory, lightning is caused by a charge imbalance between
thunderclouds and the ground or the clouds themselves.

The majority of lightning strikes occur between clouds, with the rare exception of lightning
striking the earth. In the blink of an eye, a lightning strike might deliver thousands of mega-
amperes of current.

Lightning is most likely to strike the closest point on Earth to it, which has a large potential
for positive charges. In other words, a towering building, structure, electrical tower, or even
trees that may discharge electricity to the ground are considered the closest point.
 How does lightning affect the building property?
Direct effects
 Thermal effects : A high amount of energy is emitted in the form of heat when a
substance is a poor conductor. The heating of the material’s water vapor causes a sudden
increase in localized pressure, which could cause it to explode.
 Effects due to the initiation: Depending on the grounding network and soil resistivity, a
significant increase in the ground potential of the installation will occur in the event of a
lightning strike. There will also be potential differences between distinct metal
components. As a result, special care must be taken when constructing earth rods and
interconnecting metal structures adjacent to conductors.
 Acoustic effects – thunder: Thunder is caused by the electrodynamic forces creating a
quick increase in pressure (2 to 3 atmospheres) in the discharge channel during a lightning
strike.
 Luminous effects: An observer’s retina is violently sensitized by a nearby lightning
strike. For several seconds, the eye is blinded and vision is lost.
 Electrodynamic effects: The high magnetic field of the lightning current causes
electrodynamic effects between conductors and other parts. This produces large
mechanical forces, both attracting and repulsive, which are amplified when the
conductors are near together or the current is high.

Indirect effects
Electrical equipment is becoming increasingly vulnerable to transient overvoltage induced
by lightning as the use of sensitive electronics grows. The overvoltage is either caused by
the atmosphere or by industry. The most dangerous is atmospheric overvoltage, which is
caused by three primary factors:
 Conduction: An overvoltage that propagates along a conductor that has been directly struck by
lightning.

 Induction: due to the electromagnetic field emitted by a lightning strike It produces an

 Rising up from the ground: When lightning strikes, an overvoltage might ascend from the
ground, seeking a more favorable path to the ground.
Protection of structure from lightening
Lightning protection systems, which consist primarily of lightning conductors (structural protection) and
voltage surge protectors (overvoltage protection), provide excellent protection when properly defined
and implemented.
A. External Protection
a. Protection system (lightning conductor)
These are designed to shield structures from direct lightning strikes. They avoid harm from the lightning
strike and the related current circulation by capturing the lightning and running the discharge current to
earth.
There are four different types of lightning conductors:
i. Single rod lightning conductor (franklin rods)
ii. Lightning conductors with spark over the device
iii. Lightning conductors with meshed cage
iv. Lightning conductors with earthing wires
LC with
Meshed
F igure 3 – Lightning conductors

Cage
b. Electro geometric model
The selection and placement of lightning capture devices necessitate a thorough examination of each
site, with the goal of ensuring that the lighting “falls” at one of the predetermined spots (lightning
conductors) rather than elsewhere on the structure.
c. Capture surface areas
When the protected site comprises multiple buildings or goes beyond the range of a single capture
device (Lightning conductor), a protection strategy must be set up for the region by assessing:
 Lightning strike probability by calculating the primary strike points (towers, chimneys, antennae,
lamp posts, masts, etc.)
 The sensitive nature of the buildings’ equipment (Communication and computer equipment, PLCs,
etc.)
 The businesses or the types of materials store’s potential risk (fire, explosion, etc.)
These connections can be safeguarded in two ways:
• Shielding or the usage of Faraday cages, which will guard against these fields.
• Galvanic decoupling, which electrically separates buildings
d. Down conductors
These serve as a connection between the lightning conductor (rod, cage, or wire) and the earthing
electrode.
e. Earthing system
This is a critical component of lightning protection: all exposed conductive parts, which are
interconnected, must be connected, and the system must be capable of discharging the lightning
current without causing a voltage spike in the earthing system or the surrounding ground.

B. Internal protection
a. Active and passive protection of the installation
Fuse and circuit breakers, which are the most often employed safety devices, are too sluggish in
comparison to the phenomena of lightning and cannot safeguard electrical or electronic equipment
from overvoltage induced by lightning. This necessitates the use of voltage surge protectors.
b. Lightning strike withstand equipment
The requirement to safeguard equipment from overvoltage must be based on a
comparison between the potential value of a lightning strike based on installation
conditions and the equipment’s impulse voltage withstands value (overvoltage
category).

Conclusion
Although lightning is an important and necessary aspect of the earth’s ecology, it can
also be devastating. It’s sometimes difficult to comprehend why some areas appear to
be prone to lightning. Because they represent the shortest path from a cloud to Earth,
very tall objects are frequently targeted. Lightning’s inability to find a rapid and easy
path generally results in injury, destruction, and flames. A good lightning protection
system can assist in providing that path, lowering the risk of damage to people or
animals.