A Calculation Method of Effective Height of Structures in Lightning Studies

Abstract

Structures on mountainous area have more lightning incidence than those on the flat ground. In order to evaluate lightning striking characteristics to such structures, a concept of ‘Effective height’ has been proposed. The value of the effective height of a structure has been estimated from the number of lightning or ratio of upward flashes of the structure. In this letter, a method to calculate the effective height is proposed. The calculated values agree with field experiences very well.