Can Air Act As "Ground" For Electrical Circuits?

Replies

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  Jeffrey Arulraj

  If the potentials are capable of breaking the air's dielectric then it can be used as a super conductor
  
  Once the breakdown occurs the resistance of the media becomes 0 and thus potential at that spot is zero and can be used as ground
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  Jeffrey Arulraj

  Ahsanul haque

  if you are both answering all question so others Viewers of yours activity lol
  i think are u doing job in this forum? better if u open 4/5 a/c and answer question on several accounts. then its look better.

  Hey friend if you have any problem with our way of posting do start discussion in chillax not in forum
• 

  a.alandkar

  Cool down conq. cool down.
  Mostly in planes delta connections are introduced or else dedicated earths are provided as per my info.
• 

  Jeffrey Arulraj

  a.alandkar

  Cool down conq. cool down.
  Mostly in planes delta connections are introduced or else dedicated earths are provided as per my info.

  Post your info here mate We can debate or see how things are working in it
• 

  Prashant Munshi

  Kaustubh Katdare

  In airplanes, the wings have these small outlets that act as 'ground'. Ideally used when the lightening strikes (from what I've read). So when flying, airplanes do use Air as 'ground'. Does it only hold true when the potentials are *VERY HIGH* - tens of thousands of volts? What are the other conditions in which air can be used as electrical 'ground'?

  First need to understand the difference between the term "ground" and "earthing". For every electrical load to work there are two points + and - required which indicate points of higher and lower potential respectively. If you look at a gadget all devices in the gadget are required to be connected between these two points, normally the one (+ve) is lead to the device through wire and the other (-ve) is lead through the body of the gadget. This is true for every gadget not just airplane. Even a two wheeler has the same - just open the head lamp cover and you will see only one wire (+) coming to it and other one point of the bulb is screwed in the body (-ve). This is done for (1) to save wire and second (2) shielding the interference arising from stray electromagnetic transients. This is "ground".
  
  Earthing is actually connecting a wire deep into the earth with an earth plate, the earth being assumed to be huge mass to acquire electric charge.
  
  I think there is confusion because in English we have (play)grounds on earth.
• 

  Saandeep Sreerambatla

  Kaustubh Katdare

  In airplanes, the wings have these small outlets that act as 'ground'. Ideally used when the lightening strikes (from what I've read). So when flying, airplanes do use Air as 'ground'. Does it only hold true when the potentials are *VERY HIGH* - tens of thousands of volts? What are the other conditions in which air can be used as electrical 'ground'?

  
  
  Small outlets are made of cobalt and platinum tips which offer very high resistance, in the range of 20 Mega Ohms. These outlets are not only for lightning strikes but also for very high static charge developed on the aircraft while flying.
  
  There is one more point, once aircraft reaches ground it is grounded to earth to remove all the charges it has then all the refuelling takes place.
  
  But I am not quite sure that air is used as ground!!
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  yogi.bharadwaj

  i think at the height at which a plain is flying the air is not like at bottom it has larger humidity and every body knows that the humidity in air makes it a conductor like water so that air is becomes good conductor so the potential may be passes through it and if its very large then we see it in the form of thunder storms.is this not a reason or i am wrong then pls correct me.
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  The Observer

  I guess i noticed some of those tips recently and clicked it on my mobile at an airbase. Lemme get back with a pic or 2 and post it. Gotta dig it in my archives.
• 

  The Observer

  Yeah Got it. Are these the tips that we're talking about?
  
  Hope they are visible
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  Naman Agarwal

  Let me tell you. In the airplenes , grounding is provided with the body of the airplane. Since the body of the airplane is so immence, so the ground wire is just connected to the body of the airplane. This provides the grounding.