One Hundred and Fifty Years of Skin Effect

Abstract

In 1873, J.C. Maxwell derived relations for current density and current in a solitary long cylindrical conductor supplied with variable current. According to Maxwell, the current density in a conductor increases towards the conductor surface. This phenomenon is called the skin effect. The skin effect affects in particular the inductance of a line formed by one or several long parallel conductors. A number of papers have been published regarding the skin effect and its effect on inductance. Another phenomenon, closely related to the skin effect, is the proximity effect, which refers to the dependence of the current density in a conductor on the proximity of other conductors through which a time-variable current is flowing. Many published papers deal with the calculation of current density in two conductors, using the method for calculating current density in a solitary conductor. All the phenomena given above can be analysed and quantitatively described based on the knowledge of current density in conductors, and therefore the method for calculating current density in a group of conductors is of fundamental significance. It follows from the analysis performed that the skin effect is not a general characteristic of current density in long conductors, except for in the solitary conductor. This conclusion affects the knowledge of the phenomena associated with the skin effect.