A lightning rod, also known as a lightning rod, is a device used as a safety mechanism to protect buildings and boats from the consequences of electricity from clouds. These devices are made up of iron rods that end in a point and are linked to the earth and to each other by metallic conductors.
Lightning rods are responsible for attracting lightning. Thus, thanks to their design, they manage to conduct the electrical discharge towards the ground, preventing people and buildings from being damaged.
The invention of the lightning rod is attributed to the American scientist Benjamin Franklin. It was he who postulated that storms constitute an electrical phenomenon and, within this framework, he devised these elements that attract the discharge to drive it to the ground.
The structure of a lightning rod consists of three parts: the electrode that captures the discharge, making ground and the driver carrying the current from the electrode to the ground. In general, the element that captures the discharge is specifically named as a lightning rod.
The inclusion of lightning rods in buildings is very important due to the destructive potential of lightning. The shock can electrocute a human being, causing him to go into cardiorespiratory arrest, for example. It can also affect a building and cause fires.
When a lightning rod is installed at the top of a building, this object captures the electrical discharge and channels it to a grounding system. There the lightning discharge ends up dissipating without causing damage.