A Model for Currents and Voltages Induced Within Long Transmission Cables by an Electromagnetic Wave

A model is presented for determining the transient currents and voltages induced within a long coaxial cable by a uniform plane traveling wave whose variation with time may be specified. The cable may be located above or within a half-space lossy dielectric with the wave incident from the half-space lossless dielectric. This results in a model for either aerial or buried cables with the source of the wave located in the atmosphere. A method is also presented for generalizing the approach to more complex cables encountered in communication systems. A demonstration of the applicability of this model is presented by analyzing the response of a 0.375-in coaxial cable for both aerial and buried situations. An incident electromagnetic wave with a rectangular time domain waveform is used to demonstrate the transient response. This waveshape is adequate to clearly indicate the transient phenomena. It is found that voltage enhancement results in both aerial and buried cables when the incident wave approaches grazing incidence. This voltage enhancement can be significant especially for aerial cables. Cable shield current enhancement also results for an aerial but not for a buried cable.