FEATURE


LIGHTNING PROTECTION: A LIFE STORY (PART TWO)


In the first instalment of Lightning Protection: A Life Story, the Association of Technical Lightning & Access Specialists (ATLAS) explored the naval origins of why lightning protection (LP) is required, and the early experiments to establish a solution to protecting structures that were more vulnerable to a lightning strike.


Whilst attitudes towards the causes and what constitutes an appropriate level of protection has undoubtably advanced, those with an untrained eye may not appreciate just how far things have evolved, remaining of the opinion that LP is a dark art.


As recent as 1984, when York Minster was set ablaze by lightning from what seemed to be a clear sky at night, some believed it to be divine retribution, as just three days earlier the Rt Rev David Jenkins (Bishop of Durham) had made controversial remarks about Christianity.


When discussing LP, it is mandatory to bring up the past and therefore important to introduce a man way ahead of his time and responsible for the development of, arguably, the first piece of LP equipment. One of the forefathers of the USA, Benjamin Franklin, inventor of Bifocals, was fascinated by storms and loved to study them.


Franklin spent the summer of 1747 conducting a series of experiments with electricity, eventually explaining what he believed were similarities between electricity and lightning. He was determined to find a method of proving lightning was indeed electricity. Once proven, he would set about what could be done to protect people, buildings, and other structures from lightning. This grew into his idea for the lightning rod where Franklin described an iron rod about eight or 10 feet long that was sharpened to a point at one end.


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In a follow-up to an article published in March this year, James Taylor, Council Member at Association of Technical Lightning & Access Specialists, looks at the next stage in the story of lightning protection and where the industry stands today.


In June of 1752, Franklin attached a metal key to a kite and sent it into the air to attract a lightning strike. With no regard for health and safety, he tied the kite string to an insulating silk ribbon and tied it to the knuckles of his hand. At the first sign of the key receiving an electrical charge from the air, Franklin would confirm his theory that lightning was a form of electricity.


Looking back to that one notion and the experiments behind the development of the lightning rod, Franklin would have been astounded at the array of manufacturers providing technical data inspired catalogues consisting of hundreds of pages of product offering solutions for earthing, lightning protection, exothermic welding and surge protection solutions.


Lightning protection is no longer just about offering a piece of copper up to the heavens and hoping that it will solve any potential disasters. The industry is evolving and new concepts for product design and material usage are being developed on the foundation of knowledge gained over a prolonged period by people who have all the latest technology to draw from. These people are in abundance within ATLAS membership.


The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the body responsible for implementing international standards. Its technical committee comprises of representatives from various member national standards, including The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC). IEC and CENELEC generally work in parallel, with CENELEC members voting to adopt new IEC standards as CENELEC standards. The important fact with CENELEC standards is that, by rule, the member countries are bound to


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