Characteristics of the Flexible Graphite Grounding Material and its Engineering Application

In order to meet the requirements of corrosion resistance of the grounding material and thermal stability of the grounding material of the transmission line towers, under the condition of power frequency current and high-frequency lightning current scattering into the ground in the case of short-circuit fault and lightning strikes, a kind of high-current capability flexible graphite grounding material was developed. The corrosion resistance of the flexible graphite grounding material and the steel type grounding material was compared by the soil simulation solution corrosion tests. The contact performance with different soils of the two materials was analyzed by the actual contact resistance measurement test. The thermal stability and the impulse current effective length of this grounding material were studied by means of simulation calculation. The results show that the high-current capability flexible graphite grounding material has a strong anticorrosion characteristic, whose reliable service life can exceed 30 years. Compared to the round steel grounding material, the contact resistance with the soil can be reduced by approximately 30%, and the impulse current effective length can be increased by about 30%.