breakdown

Examples of breakdown in the following topics:

• Dieletrics and their Breakdown

  • Breakdown is more of a rough concept than an exact science.
  • A material's breakdown voltage cannot be precisely defined.
  • Additionally, the nature of the voltage used to induce breakdown must be considered.
  • The treelike pattern in the plexiglas stems from the root of the breakdown.
  • Identify conditions that can lead to a dielectric breakdown and its effect on materials

• Capacitors with Dielectrics

  • Eventually every material has a "dielectric breakdown point," at which the potential difference becomes too high for it to insulate, and it ionizes and permits the passage of current.

• Conductors and Insulators

  • When exposed to enough voltage, an insulator will experience what is known as electrical breakdown, in which current suddenly spikes through the material as it becomes a conductor.

• Parallel-Plate Capacitor

  • The maximum energy (U) a capacitor can store can be calculated as a function of Ud, the dielectric strength per distance, as well as capacitor's voltage (V) at its breakdown limit (the maximum voltage before the dielectric ionizes and no longer operates as an insulator):

• Humans and Electric Hazards

  • Very high voltage, enough to cause burns, will cause dielectric breakdown at the skin, actually lowering total body resistance and, ultimately, causing even higher current than when the voltage was first applied.