Piezoelectric Stimulation
The basic principle of the Saint-Elme® lightning conductor is to increase the number of free charges (ionized particles and electrons) in the air surrounding the lightning conductor and to create, within a cloud–ground electric field, a channel of high relative conductivity constituting a preferential path for lightning.
Free charges are created by the corona effect by applying on the Saint-Elme® lightning conductor’s ionized point(s) the voltage supplied by cells of piezo–electric ceramics (lead zirco–titanate); their feature is to produce a very high voltage by simply modifying the applied pressure. The Saint-Elme ® lightning conductor is therefore equipped with a mechanical device that transforms the stress resulting from the wind action on the lightning conductor into a pressure stress on the piezo–electric cells