Did you guys see the interior of the F-150 that was hit by lightning?

[Cheez]

 

[arrma_tigger]

What I don’t get is how was the car grounded? Shouldn’t the tires offer enough of a buffer that the actual ground would be a shorter path?

The car/vehicle is not 'grounded' other than the chassis, engine block, etc all being linked to the negative of the battery. That said, if struck, lighting will travel around the body and through the frame to ground. It is possible to jump from the frame of the car to the earth. This faraday cage effect happens with hardtop vehicles, as the hardtop is usually what is struck (sorry convertibles).

 

[jondilly1974]

The car is not 'grounded' other than the chassis, engine block, etc all being linked to the negative of the battery. That said, if struck, lighting will travel around the body and through the frame to ground. It is possible to jump from the frame of the car to the earth.

I get that, but there is no direct link from chassis to ground. There is an air gap. Wouldn’t it just be a path of lesser resistance to skip going thru the truck and just hit the ground?

 

[arrma_tigger]

I get that, but there is no direct link from chassis to ground. There is an air gap. Wouldn’t it just be a path of lesser resistance to skip going thru the truck and just hit the ground?

Agreed - but there is also an air gap from the cloud to the ground. Being that the body, frame, etc of the vehicle is part of an individual and available electrical ground, it may be the lesser resistance at that given moment. Also, the more objects on that vehicle that are available for ground, the less the potential rises across all available objects.

Good example:

 

[Cheez]

1.21 GIGAWATTS

Just read this ️https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-cars

 

[jondilly1974]

I just realized I know very little about lightning. The safety a car offers is just the faraday cage like effect. I was alway lead to believe the tires prevented the car from grounding itself.

 

[Cheez]

Lightening / electricity ….one way or another will find ground.

 

[jondilly1974]

Lightening / electricity ….one way or another with find ground.

Yep I get that much. I just always assumed tires would be more resistance than air.

 

[arrma_tigger]

I just realized I know very little about lightning. The safety a car offers is just the faraday cage like effect. I was alway lead to believe the tires prevented the car from grounding itself.

Because of the tires, the vehicle has an independent electrical circuit - and lightning will flow to the ground side of that electrical circuit. If struck by lightning, the lightning can also then jump from the frame to the earth (earth ground).

 

[jondilly1974]

Because of the tires, the electrical circuit is the ground side of the circuit .. but lightning can also jump from the frame to the earth (earth ground).

What I read was the steel belting of the tires helps it get close to the ground and then it melts the rubber

 

[Cheez]

Here ya go… https://earth-chronicles.com/natura...struck-by-lightning-while-inside-the-car.html
same car.

 

[arrma_tigger]

What I read was the steel belting of the tires helps it get close to the ground and then it melts the rubber

Considering the steel belts are not part of the vehicle ground, it would have to jump from the frame to the belts - but that is possible as well. I'm not sure if that's a quicker way to ground though.

 

[Cheez]

My take on this is the gist of the situation is finding a safer place than inside a car.

 

[arrma_tigger]

If you're in the area (and if it's still there), the Boston Museum Of Science had an awesome event that discussed electrical occurrences, like lightning.

 

[arrmadillo]

That's crazy, looks like it was sliced with a hot knife.

 

[Doom!]

That's crazy, looks like it was sliced with a hot knife.

I know I would have been baffled if I had come out in the morning and found my truck like this, I don't know If I even would have thought of a lightning strike. @arrmadillo Diggin' the new avatar

 

[Jimbobjr]

Running a Castle?

 

[slick2500]

Amazing vehicles, not great as a “truck” lol but I loved them. Also the 03 cobra…

Omg love me some Termi Cobras especially the Mystichrome

 

[Streeter69]

@Doom! Are you sure you didn't have some spicy Mexican food?? You are from Kali

Glad it hit nothing else Mother nature is a krewl Bi*&h

 

[Doom!]

@Doom! Are you sure you didn't have some spicy Mexican food?? You are from Kali

Glad it hit nothing else Mother nature is a krewl Bi*&h

If I had that kind of ability, I would rent myself out for parties.