Static electricity SOLVED p4
I have dry skin (have to wet my finger to activate touch screen) but my wife gets sparks (!) as well. The issue did not exist in CA, where we used to live in higher humidity area and was lesser issu...
Forum Discussion
fj12ryder wrote:Harvard wrote:Actually that's the exact opposite of the quoted statement, since it shows that a non-grounded object will not be shocked. The quoted statement says that a non-grounded object will be shocked.MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
High voltage has it's own set of rules. Look at it this way after reading DrewE's excellent answer...
You can jump up into the air then touch a spark plug wire......SNAPPO!
Another example, a bird can safely land on a high voltage power line, as long as it does not come in contact with a second line or ground in the process.
The shock is caused from "charging current" or the electricity (flow of electrons) required to bring the body up to the electrical potential of the line, basically charging a capacitor. In the case of a bird, the body is so small it takes very little time and current to charge. In the case of a fat (300 lb. man) it takes considerable more current, resulting in a shock.
I worked for over 40 years that made equipment for the electrical utilities. Linemen work on electrical transmission lines at voltages of 765kV to change insulators. They are placed on the "hot end" of the insulator strings to enable removal. They wear a "hot suit" which is basically a conductive screen type material that acts as a portable Faraday cage. This allows the charging currents to stay in the suit and reduce the discomfort felt from the current.
The same work is being done from the "cherry picker" bucket trucks and helicopters. In the old days when I first started the method to access the hot end was a fiberglass insulated ladder specifically built for this work. Still being used today all over the world.
