Finite element modeling of lightning

In this paper the transmission line equation which describes the transient voltage and current distributions of a lightning stroke is employed. The finite element method is used to derive the element equations and one-dimensional linear elements are used to discretize the field region. The implicit Newmark time integration technique is used to convert the resulting second-order ordinary differential equations into a set of recurrence equations which are then solved at each time step. A numerical example is included and discussed.