Joe has a workshop in his basement where he uses a variety of power tools such as drills, saws, and sanders. The basement floor is concrete, and being below ground level, it is usually damp. Damp concrete is a relatively good conductor. Unknown to Joe, the insulation on a wire in his electric drill

Question

Joe has a workshop in his basement where he uses a variety of power tools such as drills, saws, and sanders. The basement floor is concrete, and being below ground level, it is usually damp. Damp concrete is a relatively good conductor. Unknown to Joe, the insulation on a wire in his electric drill has been nicked and the wire is in contact with (or shorted to) the metal case of the drill, as shown in Fig. 9.26. Is Joe in any danger when using the drill?

Accepted Answer

Without the ground conductor connected to the metal case of the tool, Joe would receive a severe, perhaps fatal, shock when he attempts to use the drill. The voltage between his hand and his feet would be 120 V, and the current through his body would be limited by the resistance of his body and of the concrete floor. Typically, the circuit breakers would not operate. However, if the ground conductor is present and properly connected to the drill case, the case remains at ground potential, the 120-V source becomes shorted to ground, the circuit breaker operates, and Joe lives to drill another hole.

Question 9.16: Joe has a workshop in his basement where he uses a variety o...

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