ERICO LIGHTNING

PROTECTION HANDBOOK
DESIGNING TO THE IEC 62305 SERIES OF LIGHTNING
PROTECTION STANDARDS
 9. Design Methods
9. Design methods Meshed conductors used as air-terminations should not be
confused with the mesh method. While the mesh method requires
The rolling sphere method, mesh method and protection the use of surface mounted meshed conductors (a grid) to protect
angle method are used to determine the required positioning flat surfaces, the rolling sphere and protection angle method can
of the lightning protection air-terminations. While there are also be used to determine protection provided by elevated meshed
limits on the application of the protection angle and mesh conductors to protect a variety of compound surfaces.
methods, generally the standard considers the three methods
as equivalent. While the standard considers the three methods to be equivalent,
recent research has questioned the true effectiveness of the mesh
The rolling sphere method is recommended as the most method. Pentair recommends the rolling sphere method as the
universal method, while the mesh method is more suitable for most effective. Rod air-terminations of height in the region of
the protection of flat surfaces. The protection angle method 0.5 m are preferable to shorter rods or conductors on the building
can only be used with limited vertical distances. Different surface. The rolling sphere method generally provides the most
design methods can be applied to different regions of a single optimized design and the vertical air-terminal is far more effective
lightning protection system, provided the zones afforded by at capturing lightning flashes than mesh conductors installed
each method overlap to protect the entire structure. upon, or just above structure surface. Refer to Section 10.1
for further information.
Any of these methods can be used to determine placement
of the air-terminations. Permitted air-terminations are: The radius of the rolling sphere, the mesh size and the angles
used in the protection angle method are related to the class
• Rods (including masts and free standing masts) of the lightning protection system. Lightning protection class
I, II, III & IV relate to protection level I, II, III, & IV respectively.
• Meshed conductors (on building surface or elevated) For example if the risk assessment determines that a lightning
protection system with lightning protection class II is required to
• Catenary wires reduce the risk to below the tolerable level, then the design of
the lightning protection system will need to be in accordance
• Natural components
with the requirements of lightning protection level II (or higher).
The greater the level of lightning protection (LPL I being the
greatest), the larger the resulting material requirement for the
lightning protection system.

Non isolated Isolated

The Class of LPS/LPL influences the:

• Rolling sphere radius, mesh size

and protection angle

• Typical distances between down-

Air-
terminations conductors and between ring
conductors

S = Separation • Separation distances

distance requirement
• Minimum length of earth
electrodes

Meshed Only practical for

conductors specific circumstances

Catenary
wires

Figure 25. Air-Terminations.

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 9. Design Methods (continued)

Protection method
Air-termination
Rolling sphere Mesh method Protection angle
Rod 444 44
Meshed conductors –
4 (1)
(on structure surface)
Meshed conductors –
44 44
(elevated from structure)
Catenary wires 44 44
Note: (1)
Mesh method is appropriate for the evaluation of the protection of the bound flat surface. Rolling sphere and protection angle methods
can be used to determine protection of adjacent areas.

Table 17. Suitability of air-termination methods and design methods.

Class of LPS (lightning

Rolling sphere radius (m) Mesh size (m) Protection angle
protection level)

I 20 5x5

II 30 10 x 10
Refer Figure 25
III 45 15 x 15

IV 60 20 x 20

Table 18. Maximum values for design methods.

˚
80

70

60

50
Class of
LPS
40

30
IV
I II III
20

10

0 h
0 2 10 20 30 40 50 60
Figure 26. Protection angle graph.

Lightning protection
Class of LPS
level (LPL)
I I (highest)

II II

III III
Table 19. Class of LPS and lightning
IV IV (lowest)
protection level.

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 9. Design Methods (continued)

9.1. Rolling sphere The simplicity of the rolling sphere method is that it can be
applied in scale to a building model, or for simple buildings to
As discussed in Section 2.3, with the rolling sphere method, sectional drawings. As detailed in Section 10, air-terminations
an imaginary sphere is rolled over the surface of the structure. may be rods, meshed conductors, catenary wires or natural
Where the sphere touches the structure, this point is vulnerable components.
to a lightning flash and air-termination(s) are required. The air-
termination system is placed such that the sphere only touches Note that for structures less than 60 m high the risk of flashes
the air-terminations, and not the structure. to the sides of the building is low, and therefore protection is
not required for the vertical sides directly below protected areas
(Figure 27). In the IEC standards, for buildings above 60 m,
protection is required to the sides of the upper 20% of height,
r
refer to Section 16.1.
r

9.1.1. Calculations for rolling sphere

method with rod air-terminations
H < 60 m H < 60 m

When rods are to be used as the air-termination for the

protection of plane surfaces, the following calculation
Protected Zone (Equation 2) is useful:

d = 2 2rh – h2

Equation 2

Where d = distance between two rods (m)

H > 60 m H > 60 m
H < 120 m 0.8 H H < 120 m 0.8 H r = radius of the rolling sphere (m)

h = height of the rods (m)

H > 120 m H > 120 m

120 m 120 m

Figure 27. Rolling sphere protection method.

Protected zone
Protection required

Figure 28. Rolling sphere protection method.

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 9. Design Methods (continued)

Height of Distance Penetration distance (m)

Distance between air-terminations (m)
rod (m) between rods
LPL I LPL II LPL III LPL IV
LPL I LPL II LPL III LPL IV D (m) r = 20 m r = 30 m r = 45 m r = 60 m
r = 20 m r = 30 m r = 45 m r = 60 m
1 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00
0.5 8.8 (6.2) 10.9 (7.7) 13.3 (9.4) 15.4 (10.9)
2 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.01
1 12.4 (8.8) 15.3 (10.8) 18.8 (13.3) 21.8 (15.4)
3 0.06 0.04 0.03 0.02
1.5 15.2 (10.7) 18.7 (13.2) 23.0 (16.2) 26.6 (18.8)
4 0.10 0.07 0.04 0.03
2 17.4 (12.3) 21.5 (15.2) 26.5 (18.7) 30.7 (21.7)
5 0.16 0.10 0.07 0.05
Note: Distances in brackets provide grid distances.
6 0.23 0.15 0.10 0.08
Table 20. Examples of rolling sphere protection distance.
7 (5 x 5 m) 0.31 0.20 0.14 0.10

8 0.40 0.27 0.18 0.13

When rods are to be used as the air-termination for protection 9 0.51 0.34 0.23 0.17
of roof top items, the following calculation (Equation 3) of
10 0.64 0.42 0.28 0.21
sphere penetration distance is useful:
14 (10 x 10 m) 1.27 0.83 0.55 0.41
2
d 15 1.46 0.95 0.63 0.47
p = r − r2 − 
2 20 2.68 1.72 1.13 0.84
Equation 3
where p = penetration distance (m) 21 (15 x 15 m) 2.98 1.90 1.24 0.93
r = radius of the rolling sphere (m)
d = distance between the two rods (m) 28 (20 x 20 m) 5.72 3.47 2.34 1.66

30 6.77 4.02 2.57 1.91

Note: Figures in brackets are the mesh size of the corresponding
diagonal distance.

Table 21. Rolling sphere penetration distance.

Rooftop item
to be protected

m = mesh spacing
e.g. 10x10 mesh gives d=14m
20x20 mesh gives d=28m

Figure 29. Penetration distance of rolling sphere.

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 9. Design Methods (continued)

9.1.2. Calculations of rolling sphere method 9.2. Mesh method

and mesh/catenary conductors
For protection of a plane (flat) surface, the mesh method is
Where the rolling sphere method is to be used to evaluate the considered to protect the whole bound surface if meshed
protection provided by mesh conductors or network of catenary conductors are:
wires, the preceding two calculations (Equations 2 & 3) can
• Positioned on the edges (perimeter) of the surface
be used. The distance/height of the mesh/catenary replaces the
rod distance/height. In Figure 29 note that the distance for
• The mesh size is in accordance with Table 22
penetration or protection distance is the diagonal of the grid
(distance between points A & B).
LPL Mesh Size
I 5m x 5m
II 10 m x 10 m
III 15 m x 15 m
IV 20 m x 20 m

Table 22. Mesh size for mesh method.

• No metallic structures protrude outside the volume

(Refer to Section 10.3 – consider air-terminals and
RSM/PAM method to protect these)

• From each point, at least two separate paths exist to

ground (i.e. no dead ends), and these paths follow
the most direct routes

Natural components may be used for part of the mesh grid,

or even the entire grid. The mesh method is recommended for
Figure 30. Example of rolling sphere method. flat roof surfaces. It is also recommended for the protection of
the sides of tall buildings against flashes to the side (refer to
Section 16.1).

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 9. Design Methods (continued)

The protective area provided by the mesh method is the area

bounded by the mesh. The protection to areas adjacent to
the mesh (e.g. building sides and lower structural points) is
determined by the protection angle method or rolling sphere
method (refer to Figure 33).

The protection provided by meshed conductors not placed

in full accordance with the mesh method, e.g., those raised
above the building surface, should be determined with an
alternative design method, i.e., PAM or RSM, applied to the
individual conductors. If the RSM is used, Table 21 provides
a simple rule of thumb for determining what minimum
distance above the building surface the mesh conductors
Figure 31. Protection via mesh method.
would be required to be raised in order to conform to the
rolling sphere method. It can be seen that this distance is
The mesh method should not be used on curved surfaces, 0.31, 0.83, 1.24 and 1.66 m for mesh method grids spaced
but can be used on non-horizontal plane surfaces and to requirements of LPL I, II, III and IV respectively.
compound surfaces. For example on the vertical sides of tall
buildings for protection against flashes to the side, or on
compound surfaces such as industrial roofs. For compound
surfaces, conductors should be placed on the roof ridge Protection
lines if the slope exceeds 1/10. 1
Angle
Method h1
Mesh
Method

Rolling
Sphere Protected
Method Volume
r

Protected
Volume

Figure 33. Volume protected by meshed conductors

Figure 32. Mesh method for compound shapes. according to PAM and RSM method.

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 9. Design Methods (continued)

9.3. Protection angle method

Air-terminations (rods/masts and catenary wires) are located The protection angle method can be used on inclined
so the volume defined by the protection angle (refer to surfaces, where the height of the rod is the vertical height,
Figure 34) covers the structure to be protected. The height but the protection angle is referenced from a perpendicular
of the air-termination is measured from the top of the air- line from the surface to the tip of the rod.
termination to the surface to be protected. The protection
angle method is limited in application to heights that are
equal to or less than the corresponding rolling sphere radius.

h1 α1 α2
Protected α α
d1 h2
Not
protected h

Protected
90º

d2

Figure 34. Protection angle method.

Figure 36. Protection angle method applied
to inclined surface.

Where the protection angle method alone is employed, multiple

rods are generally required for most structures. However the
protection angle method is most commonly used to supplement
the mesh method, providing protection to items protruding from
the plane surface.

Figure 35. Combination protection.

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Header
9. DesignGoes Here(continued)
Methods
Height h Distance d (m) and protection angle (rounded down to nearest degree)
of air-
LPL I LPL II LPL III LPL IV
termination
(m) Distance Angle Distance Angle Distance Angle Distance Angle
1 2.75 70 3.27 73 4.01 76 4.70 78
2 5.49 70 6.54 73 8.02 76 9.41 78
3 7.07 67 8.71 71 10.46 74 12.99 77
4 7.52 62 9.42 67 12.31 72 13.95 74
5 8.32 59 10.25 64 14.52 71 16.35 73
6 8.57 55 10.82 61 14.14 67 17.43 71
7 9.29 53 11.65 59 15.72 66 18.24 69
8 9.53 50 12.32 57 16.40 64 18.85 67
9 9.65 47 12.85 55 16.93 62 20.21 66
10 10.00 45 13.27 53 17.32 60 20.50 64
11 9.90 42 14.08 52 19.05 60 19.84 61
12 10.07 40 14.30 50 19.20 58 20.78 60
13 10.16 38 14.44 48 19.27 56 21.64 59
14 9.80 35 14.50 46 19.27 54 22.40 58
15 9.74 33 15.00 45 19.91 53 23.10 57
16 9.61 31 14.92 43 20.48 52 22.85 55
17 9.04 28 15.31 42 20.99 51 23.40 54
18 8.78 26 15.65 41 21.45 50 23.89 53
19 8.86 25 15.94 40 21.86 49 25.21 53
20 7.68 21 15.07 37 21.45 47 25.60 52
21 14.70 35 21.75 46 25.93 51
22 14.84 34 22.00 45 26.22 50
23 14.94 33 22.21 44 27.41 50
24 14.42 31 22.38 43 26.65 48
25 14.43 30 22.51 42 26.81 47
26 13.82 28 21.82 40 27.88 47
27 13.17 26 22.66 40 27.96 46
28 13.06 25 21.88 38 28.00 45
29 12.91 24 21.85 37 28.00 44
30 12.73 23 21.80 36 28.97 44
31 21.71 35 28.91 43
32 21.58 34 28.81 42
33 21.43 33 28.69 41
34 21.25 32 28.53 40
35 21.03 31 28.34 39
36 20.78 30 29.15 39
37 20.51 29 28.91 38
38 20.20 28 28.64 37
39 19.87 27 29.39 37
40 19.51 26 29.06 36
41 19.12 25 29.79 36
42 18.70 24 30.51 36
43 18.25 23 30.11 35
44 18.68 23 28.57 33
45 18.18 22 29.22 33
46 28.74 32
47 28.24 31
48 27.71 30
49 28.29 30
50 28.87 30
51 28.27 29
52 28.82 29
53 29.38 29
54 28.71 28
55 28.02 27
56 27.31 26
57 26.58 25
58 25.82 24
59 25.04 23
60 25.47 23
Table 23. Height versus horizontal distance using protection angle method.

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 Header
9. Design
Goes
Methods
Here (continued)

α1 α1
Catenary Wire
α2 α2
s

s s s s

Taut Wire or Rod

Figure 37. Examples of protection

angle method.

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 Header
9. DesignGoes Here(continued)
Methods
9.3.1. Background of the protection The knowledge that the protection angle method is derived
from the rolling sphere method helps to understand a
angle method common question about its implementation. With reference
While the protection angle method appears to be similar to Figure 34, it may not be apparent why a 2 is less than
a 1 If a second air-terminal is installed to the left of the
to the historic and simple cone of protection method, the
protection angle method is actually a derivative of the rolling existing air-terminal, then a 1 and a 2 for the second terminal
sphere method. The angles for the protection angle method would be equal. The reason that h2 is used for a 2 is an
are obtained from a rolling sphere analysis as shown in attempt to duplicate the protection indicated by the rolling
Figure 38. This is why the protection angle method is limited sphere method.
to the maximum height of the equivalent rolling sphere.
Consider a 50 m structure with rod air-termination. As a
45 m rolling sphere (LPL III) would touch the side of the
structure, protection to objects at the ground level can not
be protected using protection angle with LPL III. Considering
LPL IV, a 60 m rolling sphere would not touch the side of the
structure, thus protection angle LPL IV can be used with the
rod air-termination to determine what objects at the ground
level would be protected.

The virtue of the protection angle method is its simplicity

in application, but its drawback is that it is a further
simplification of the rolling sphere method, hence may
not be as reliable or efficient.

Protection overestimated by
the protection angle method

Protection underestimated by
the protection angle method
α

Figure 38. Origin of protection angle.

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