Lightning Impact on Human Modeled by Network with Lumped Elements

With the help of a modified Einthoven Body Network of lumped impedances, transient electrical calculations are carried out for various lightning impact mechanisms on human beings. By varying the impedance or resistance values, including the environment modeled by impedances too, as well as the parameters of the lightning, strokes and flash, rough statements about the severity of injuries to humans can be obtained simply and fast. This kind of analysis can also be helpful in assessing the effectiveness of personal lightning protection measures when it is not possible to use highly specialized field simulation tools. The body current and voltage as well as the currents in heart and brain stem were considered, from which the flowed charges and energies were derived. It could be confirmed that side flash and touch voltage cause particularly serious effects to humans, and that step voltage and aborted upward leader cause least injuries. Direct strike has slightly reduced harmfulness from a purely electrical viewpoint because of the almost always occurring body flashover. Depending on the object of investigation, body, heart, or brain stem, either energy or charge or both integral quantities are decisive. For energy, as the mostly essential quantity, an energy-time limit characteristic for the permissible lightning current load is proposed for short pulses.