Grounding and Bonding

In Grounding and Bonding, you'll learn ...

• How proper grounding protects equipment, people and buildings
• The difference between grounding and bonding
• How to properly bond conductors and equipment frames
• Equipment protection elements, including Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors, wrist straps, the use of chassis grounds, and air terminals

Overview

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Credit: 1 CPD

Length: 20 pages

This course reviews six areas that demonstrate why grounding is important, including protecting people, protecting buildings and other manmade structures, protecting equipment, providing a return path to operate an overcurrent protection device, reducing noise, and providing a polarity reference for DC Systems.

The course reviews the mathematics associated with a lightning rod as well as examples of electrical faults in a typical residential home. The importance of the home’s main bonding jumper and the grounding electrode is reviewed.

The difference between grounding and bonding is discussed, along with the proper methods of bonding. The course examines the differences between integrated and isolated ground planes. The rationale is presented for using the isolated ground plane to protect equipment. Many terms associated with grounding are presented, including frame grounds, floor ground bars, the vertical equalizer, the ground window, and the building’s principal ground point.

The course reviews many elements associated with protecting equipment, including Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors, wrist straps, the use of chassis grounds, and air terminals. Proper grounding and bonding are essential for providing for the safety of people, the protection of buildings, and the correct operation of equipment.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Compute the effect of the ground wire to the proper operation of overcurrent protection devices using course principles and given data.
• Identify “girdling” with sufficient accuracy to distinguish it from related concepts.
• Differentiate between an isolated and an integrated ground plane, citing the distinguishing characteristics relevant to engineering decisions.
• Develop methods of protecting equipment from faults and EMI in a representative engineering or safety scenario.
• Recognize the mathematics behind a lightning rod system and demonstrate understanding through an assessment question or scenario.
• Summarize the importance of the vertical equalizer and demonstrate understanding through an assessment question or scenario.
• Interpret when an isolated ground plane may be appropriate to use and demonstrate understanding through an assessment question or scenario.
• Select methods by which a ground system can provide a polarity reference for DC systems with sufficient accuracy to distinguish them from related concepts.

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 10 questions. CPD credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.