Development of plan for screening experiment aimed to examine influence of various factors on corrosion of grounding devices

Conditions of grounding elements is highly influenced by corrosion. The analysis of existing methods of grounding component condition control has showed their main drawbacks associated with the need for a periodic earth lead exposure for visual inspection of its corrosion state. The article presents the results of laboratory studies of the influence of some factors on the corrosion process. The factors under study included soil moisture, its pH, chemical and mineral composition and presence of ground currents. Based on the theory of experiment planning, a minimum number of trials has been determined and the matrix of screening experiments has been elaborated, in which factors significantly affecting corrosion of grounding devices have been emphasized. The results show that present moisture and ground currents mainly facilitate corrosion of grounding devices.