Traveling Waves Due to Lightning

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the origin and formation of traveling waves on a transmission line induced by lightning discharges, and to investigate their behavior at a transition point where there is an abrupt change of circuit constants. Some of the ground covered is necessarily old and well known, but has been included in the interests of completeness and continuity of treatment. The effect of the rate of cloud discharge and the initial distribution of bound charge on the shape and amplitudes of the traveling waves is brought out. General methods of analysis are formulated and illustrated by practical cases. The assumptions and approximations involved are discussed, and the probable direction of their deviation from fact indicated. Exact and approximate mathematical expressions are derived, and therefrom graphical and tabular methods are outlined. For all of the examples given, line attenuation and distortion are neglected and only the first reflection from a transition point is considered.