Engineering of Structures for Lightning Protection
Credits: 5 PDH
PDH Course Description:
Lightning represents one of the more energetic natural loads an engineer will ever need to design against. This course provides a working understanding of lightning protection engineering that determines whether a structure survives a strike with minimal consequence.
The course works through the physics of the lightning discharge, the standards that govern its mitigation in the United States (principally NFPA 780) and internationally (IEC 62305), and the practical design decisions, from air termination geometry through grounding, bonding, as well as surge protection.Topics:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the physical mechanisms of lightning formation and attachment used in protection design
- Compare the scope and methodology of NFPA 780, the IEC 62305 series, and relevant IEEE standards, and identify which governs a given project
- Apply the IEC 62305-2 risk assessment framework to determine whether protection is warranted and to select an appropriate protection level
- Select and apply the rolling sphere, mesh, and protective angle methods of air termination design to a given structure geometry
- Evaluate down-conductor routing, separation distance requirements, and grounding electrode configurations against NFPA 780 and IEC 62305-3 provisions
- Identify appropriate surge protection measures at each lightning protection zone boundary within a building
- Recognise the additional design considerations that apply to tall buildings, hazardous locations, telecommunications structures, and renewable energy installations
- Describe the professional responsibilities, documentation practices, and liability considerations associated with lightning protection design
To take this course:
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Intended Audience: This course is intended for structural, electrical, and fire protection engineers responsible for specifying, reviewing, or signing off on lightning protection systems as part of a building project, as well as engineers working on telecommunications towers, wind turbines, and other tall or exposed structures where lightning risk is a first-order design consideration.
Publication Source: Cadistics Courseware