Lightning rods
Enlarge text Shrink text-
Topic
- Work cat.: 98143584: Barnes, R. The lightning rod collectibles price guide, 1997.
- American heritage dict.(lightning rod; rod, def. 1e: a lightning rod)
- Building design and construction handbook, 1982:p. 3-49 ("The key element in diverting lightning away from a building is an air terminal or lightning rod, a conductor that projects into the air at least 12 in above the roof...Alternatively, a continuous wire conductor or a grid of such conductors may be placed along the highest points of a roof.")
- Means illus. construction dict.(lightning conductor, lightning rod: a cable or rod built of metal that protects a building from lightning by providing a direct link to ground)
- Olin, H. Construction: principles, materials & methods, 1990:p. 606-22 ("A lightning protection system includes: (1) air terminals (lightning rods), (2) main conductors, (3) branch conductors, (4) lightning arrestors, and (5) ground connections")
- Putnam, R. Architectural and building trades dict., 1982(lightning rod: one of a system of metal rods extending from above the highest point of a building to the ground, thus protecting the building from damage by lightning. Also called lightning conductor.)
- Putnam, R. Builder's comprehensive dict., 1989(lightning rod: metal conductor placed on the high point of a building to receive lightning and thus protect the building. The conductor runs to ground.)
- Random House(lightning rod: a rodlike conductor installed to divert lightning away from a structure...)
- Stein, J. Construction glossary, 1993(lightning conductor: conductor designed to carry the current of a lightning discharge from a lightning rod to ground; lightning rod: metallic rod installed on an exposed elevation or roof of a structure...)
- Traister, J. Illus. dict for building construction, 1993(air terminal: a metal rod and its brace or footing on the roof of a building for lightning protection)
- Web. 3(lightning conductor: a conductor leading from a lightning rod to the ground; lightning rod: a metallic rod set up on a building or mast and connected with the moist earth or ware below to diminish the chances of destructive effect by lightning)
.jpg)
A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it is most likely to strike the rod and be conducted to ground through a wire, rather than passing through the structure, where it could start a fire or even cause electrocution. Lightning rods are also called finials, air terminals, or strike termination devices. In a lightning protection system, a lightning rod is a single component of the system. The lightning rod requires a connection to the earth to perform its protective function. Lightning rods come in many different forms, including hollow, solid, pointed, rounded, flat strips, or even bristle brush-like. The main attribute common to all lightning rods is that they are all made of conductive materials, such as copper and aluminum. Copper and its alloys are the most common materials used in lightning protection.
Read more on Wikipedia >