Skin Effect
Created: 5/26/2020Last Updated: 5/26/2020
Definition: This is the effect of AC current mainly flows along the outer surface of a conductor.
Skin depth is used to characterized level of skin effect within a conductor. It's defined as the depth in which the current density is 37% of current found on the conductor surface.
Impact:
- AC resistance of the conductor increases as frequency increases
- Skin depth of conductor decreases as frequency increases
- Note: reduced skin depth effectively reduces cross-sectional area of conductor and increases its resistance to current flow.
Reference and Further Reading:
"Skin Effect", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect