On Tue, 7 Jul 2009 14:57:46 -0400, Bill Fikis wrote:
>And if there is a lightning strike, then won't that strike
>cause the concrete to explode ???
According to the research I've seen, no. On the other hand, it's
good to bond the rebar together to minimize the electrical stress
and arcing in the case of a strike. AND you should have other
electrodes in parallel with the concrete.
Think of it this way. Concrete IS a conductor, it WILL act as an
earth electode, and unless you've done something serious to isolate
it, the tower base IS electrically connected to it. And both good
engineering practice and all building codes require that all earth
electrodes be bonded together.
To study this, look up "Ufer" in reference texts or on the internet.
Herbert Ufer is recognized as having pioneered the use of a
conductor encased in concrete as a grounding electrode, and such an
electrode is called a Ufer.
73,
Jim K9YC
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