Effects of Contacts in High Voltage Injuries

The current and impedance attendant with accidental power line contact is difficult to reconstruct following an accident. Studies were conducted in the living hog with potentials from 10 to 14,400 volts applied. The contact was made with #2 ACSR, disk, ellipsoidal and annular electrodes. Blisters occurred at 50 to 80 volts. Nonlinear time versus current and voltage versus current relationships were observed for all electrode contacts. The time required for the increase in current following voltage application was inversely proportional to the applied voltage and proportional to the electrode size. Current versus voltage and current versus time plots for elliptical, disk and annolar electrodes were similar for electrodes with the same distance along the edge. Theoretical calculations and experiments in the saline tank confirmed this finding.