What to do if the car door is shocked
Content
Surely every car owner, leaving the car, was faced with the fact that he was hit by a discharge of electricity from touching the body of the car. It is good if a person who has undergone such a sudden "electric shock" has a strong and healthy heart. However, there are times when a person wears a pacemaker. In this case, even a small discharge of static electricity can lead to serious health consequences, even death.
It is very important to note that it is not safe to use a car that “discharges” a current discharge when touching metal parts, and the problem must be urgently fixed as soon as possible.
Where does static electricity come from in a car?
In order to explain the causes of a static discharge on the body and metal parts of a car, it is necessary to recall the school physics course for grades 7-8.
Static electricity (SE) is a phenomenon associated with the appearance of immobile electric charges in an object. The simplest example of their manifestation is lightning.
In addition, everyone has come across a situation where, entering a warm house after a walk in the cold, you take off your synthetic clothes, and it crackles and even sparkles. This is how SE manifests itself in nature.
The discharge on various objects (synthetic things, car upholstery or on the body) accumulates due to their friction against each other or at high humidity.
When interacting with a conductor, the accumulated electricity is discharged by an electric shock, equalizing the potentials of the FE source and the conductor. As you know, a person is 80% water, so he is the best current conductor.
In contact with electrified surfaces, open parts of the body, we take part of the accumulated potential of electricity onto ourselves and an electric shock occurs.
Thus, the reasons for the occurrence of this kind of electricity in the car and on its body include:
- Weather conditions - high humidity, frost, strong wind. Due to the temperature difference in the car interior and overboard, SE accumulates on rubbing surfaces;
- Synthetic clothing and car upholstery - the likelihood of accumulating electrical potential on such things is caused by the structure of the material, which has a high level of elasticity, resulting in friction;
- Long hair - as in the case of synthetics, the hair rubs against the upholstery or metal parts, forming a SE;
- The movement of the car - driving a car, oddly enough, also accumulates electric charges on the body. In the process of driving, the wheels of a car rub against the road surface, the body itself, against electrified air, and the brake pads against the discs, creating a static charge.
Possible consequences
The consequences of a light discharge of solar cells are of two types: safe and unsafe.
The safe ones include:
- Unpleasant sensations from "micro-electric shock";
- Possible fear from the effect of surprise.
The unsafe ones include:
- For a person with a pacemaker, an electrical discharge of even a small power that has passed through the body can cause the device to fail, which can lead to cardiac arrest and even death;
- Failure of the electrical equipment of a car - if a discharge jumps in the passenger compartment or on the dashboard, then it is quite capable of damaging electronic sensors and devices inside the car, because a sharp power surge can simply “burn out” one of the elements of the electrical appliance;
- Ignition of fuel near the hatch of the gas tank. In the event of a discharge spark in this place, especially if the hatch is open, the consequences of such a micro-lightning strike can be sad, both for the car and for the owner.
How to fix a problem in a car
There are several methods for solving the problem of SE accumulation in a car. Consider the most popular of them.
Antistatic strips
It is known from the general physics course that in order to discharge the accumulated electrical potential, its source must be grounded. In this case, we are talking about grounding the car body.
How to do it? Very simple: just attach special conductor strips to the lower part of the body at the back, which, when the car is moving, will lightly touch the ground, thereby discharging the charge. In many modern cars, this function is performed by mud flaps.
Upholstery upgrade
As mentioned earlier, the upholstery inside the car also plays an important role in the process of FE formation on car parts. This happens when the clothes of passengers or the driver rub against the skin elements.
It is eliminated very simply: special covers are put on the chairs, which have antistatic properties. We should also not forget about clothing: so that electricity does not accumulate on it, it should not be made of synthetic materials.
Braid your hair
This advice concerns, first of all, the female audience, which wears long hair. They are also an excellent source of friction and can be the reason for the appearance of SE on the plastic elements of the car interior.
Aerosol-antistatic
Another good solution to the problem. Spraying an aerosol inside the cabin solves two problems at once:
- First, a special chem. the composition removes the accumulated electrical potential inside the car;
- Secondly, the air is humidified.
In conclusion, it is worth noting an important detail that all the above methods of solving the problem are relevant only for cases of accumulation of electric charges in the passenger compartment and on the car body.
If they did not help and the car continues to beat with current, then the reason may be a malfunction of the wiring or other electrical mechanisms. In this case, it is recommended to immediately visit the nearest car service for diagnostics.
