Skin depth

VivekK

What is meant by skin depth of a conductor?

cblair

Hi @Vivek Kamble ,

The skin depth can be termed as the distance below the surface of a conductor to a point where the current density has shrunk to 1/e of its original value at the surface. In other words, it's a measure of how far electrical conduction takes place in a conductor and is a function of frequency.

VivekK

Thank you @cblair for the quick reply. So, how it will impact the EM designs, and what are the factors we need to consider?

rtk

Skin depth points out the increase of the resistive element of a conductor line. This, in turn, causes a voltage drop, with a decrease in skin depth. Thus, results in less power handling capacity. Thereby, it conveys how much material (inner) is not required while modeling a transmission line, for say. This will help in deciding the design strategies in nearby areas as well to avoid the discharge and sparking effects.  So mainly, skin depth depends on the frequency of operation as well as the resistivity of the material. It is inversely proportional to the frequency whereas, directly proportional to the resistivity.

VivekK

Thank you all for the clarification.?