The Spire

darkman2

Hi, walking by the spire today with thunder and lightning rattling on around the city I thought to myself - hmmmmm I better not stand there. My reasoning was that the steel structure is essentially a giant lightning conductor. Tallest object in the city centre, open to the elements and made of steel. Surely its only a matter of time.....

Just another bit of useless information.

The Real B-man

Its Well Earthed if you look around the bottom you can see earth rods id say if it strikes at the top most obvious place it travels threw the interior of it rather than the outer shell

Tar.Aldarion

Ever hear of 'science'?
The whole Spire is one giant lightning conductor, right the way down through the foundation and into the piles. You could stand there and touch it in a lightning storm.

darkman2

The Real B-man wrote:

Its Well Earthed if you look around the bottom you can see earth rods id say if it strikes at the top most obvious place it travels threw the interior of it rather than the outer shell

Hi, Whilst the laws of physics suggest its completely safe, I still wouldnt want to be standing beside it if it got hit......just to be sure:rolleyes: As bizarre as it is it may actually have a use.

Dublin could be powered for quite a while on one lightning strike, maybe they should hook it into the electricity grid:p Well done DCC:D

Healio

The Real B-man wrote:

Its Well Earthed if you look around the bottom you can see earth rods id say if it strikes at the top most obvious place it travels threw the interior of it rather than the outer shell

I saw on 999 lifesavers (with that ould wrinkly lad) that the safest place to be in a lightning storm is your car as (his words) "the electricity of a lightning strike only effects the outer shell of a metal conductor" or some ****e like that.

The Real B-man

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Ever hear of 'science'?
The whole Spire is one giant lightning conductor, right the way down through the foundation and into the piles. You could stand there and touch it in a lightning storm.

if this was the case with everything tall that conducts would be fried eg. our wireless communications network would be fried in a lighting storm there are measures in places on communication towers & church spires etc

im sure theres a lighting rod at the top of the spire that channels the lighting down threw high voltage cable threw the interior to the earth

Tar.Aldarion

The Real B-man wrote:

if this was the case with everything tall that conducts would be fried eg. our wireless communications network would be fried in a lighting storm there are measures in places on communication towers & church spires etc

im sure theres a lighting rod at the top of the spire that channels the lighting down threw high voltage cable threw the interior to the earth

I think you will find that I am right.

Wertz

Healio wrote:

I saw on 999 lifesavers (with that ould wrinkly lad) that the safest place to be in a lightning storm is your car as (his words) "the electricity of a lightning strike only effects the outer shell of a metal conductor" or some ****e like that.

That principle is known as Faraday's Cage...the current runs through the metal chassis of the car and arcs to the ground, around the passenger sopace, and once you're not in contact with that metal surface you're protected...same in a plane AFAIK.

Pretty sure the Spire has some sort of internal conductor like a think piece of copper...the current will always use the best conductor in this case the copper as steel is relatively poor...better watch out for gangs from tallaght trying to nick that lightning rod...

DonkeyStyle \o/

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Ever hear of 'science'?

Yeah, it's like on that show where they do that bit about 'will it break, or will it bounce' and 'will this piece of fruit sink or float?'
I can do science me.

monkeyfudge

Wertz wrote:

Pretty sure the Spire has some sort of internal conductor like a think piece of copper...the current will always use the best conductor in this case the copper as steel is relatively poor...better watch out for gangs from tallaght trying to nick that lightning rod...

In theory could this conductor be connected up to a machine for making Frankenstein monsters?

Ruu_Old

Its probably connected to the aliens that have been living under Dublin for the last few centuries, soon they shall awake!

Red Alert

Yeah the could've put a giant discharge tube down under it. You'd get another green flash from underneath the spire! Would look really funky in a long lightning storm.

Dun laoire

If the spire was to fall in a northern direction, where would it's northern most point land?

Get yer measuring tapes out and get back to me:D

smiling_time

possibly the best suggestion yet

BuffyBot

Hi, walking by the spire today with thunder and lightning rattling on around the city I thought to myself - hmmmmm I better not stand there.

It's great to see people do some basic research before starting threads on boards.ie.


Oh, wait a minute..

Tony Danza

monkeyfudge wrote:

In theory could this conductor be connected up to a machine for making Frankenstein monsters?

Or for powering a flux capacitor?

Tar.Aldarion

Tony Danza wrote:

Or for powering a flux capacitor?

My god, it's like bursting a balloon!

Peteee

Wertz wrote:

That principle is known as Faraday's Cage...the current runs through the metal chassis of the car and arcs to the ground, around the passenger sopace, and once you're not in contact with that metal surface you're protected...same in a plane AFAIK.

Yes, and not as many people think because "Its got rubber tyres"

fits

Peteee wrote:

Yes, and not as many people think because "Its got rubber tyres"

crikey is it really not because of the tyres? I should have known that... So much for my physics..

Anyway, I presume that even if there wasnt a lightning conductor in the spire, that electricity passes through the path of least resistance, and seeing as the metal has a much lower resistance than the human body, you'd be ok even if you're hugging the spire, unless you've got tin foil for skin...

darkman2

BuffyBot wrote:

It's great to see people do some basic research before starting threads on boards.ie.


Oh, wait a minute..

I try my best;)

Civilian_Target

If we drive our delorean down O'Connell street and connect a line between the spire and the GPO, and time it just right, can we go into the future?

Wertz

Civilian_Target wrote:

If we drive our delorean down O'Connell street and connect a line between the spire and the GPO, and time it just right, can we go into the future?

Of course you can. However, bear in mind that the DeLorean will enter timespace at coordiantes that will put it in O Connell St some time in the future and you'll 99% likely be killed as the vehicle ploughs into several lanes of stationary futuristic looking cars at 142 kmph.

smemon

who in the right mind would be touching the spire in the middle of a thunderstorm? whoever does that deserves to be fried.

darkman2

smemon wrote:

who in the right mind would be touching the spire in the middle of a thunderstorm? whoever does that deserves to be fried.

I wouldnt try it, put it that way;)

Tar.Aldarion

Clearly the developers didn't know what they were doing and didn't account for weather. All you people in Dublin are fooked. Quick, run to your tin foil cave!