Static electricity detection
Introduction
Electrostatic discharge (known by the English acronym ESD, which means electrostatic discharge) is an electrostatic phenomenon that causes an electric current to circulate suddenly and momentarily between two objects of different electrical potential;[1] such as that which circulates through a lightning rod after being struck by lightning.
The term is generally used in the electronics and other industries to describe momentary unwanted currents that can cause damage to electronic equipment.
Main causes
To understand the process of formation of said current, we must consider that any body is made up of an indeterminate number of molecules linked together by forces of attraction and repulsion that allow them to remain in balance without coming into contact. We know that the electron is the smallest amount of electrical agent, the elementary particle of negative electricity. We know that these electrons have a precarious stability in the atom and can leave their orbit as a result of a collision, friction, nuclear commotion and many other circumstances.
If we take into account that the human body acts as positive and electrons as negative and that, in addition, two bodies charged in opposite directions attract each other, we understand why a discharge occurs in the finger when it touches the end of a metallic object, an excellent electrical conductor, charged with electrons, whose virtue consists of accumulating in the extreme or peripheral parts of the materials.
Since, on the other hand, the rise in temperature favors the release of electrons, or rather, electrification, the rubbing of clouds against each other or of the layers of dry air, as well as the rubbing of brakes and belts of the car, considerably increase triboelectricity.
This type of static electricity is the main cause of electrostatic discharges, which are often generated through the electrification of electrical contacts or the separation of electrical charges that occurs when two materials come into contact and then separate. Examples of this type include walking on a carpet, getting out of a car, or removing some types of plastic packaging. In all these cases, this friction between two materials charged with electricity of different signs gives rise to electrification, thus creating an electrical potential difference that can lead to a discharge event.