Step Voltage |
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The step of a
cow—the
distance between its front and rear hooves—is
the furthest distance a cow will cover while standing. The step voltage
is the voltage that a cow experiences between its front and rear
hooves while standing on a surface with voltage gradients. |
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The front hooves are assumed to be together at one point on a gradient plane and
the rear hooves at another. The step voltage to which the cow is exposed
causes a current to flow through the front legs, then the body of the cow, and finally the hind legs. |
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A dairy cow might experience some level of step voltage while standing in front of a waterer, in a
stanchion, or in the middle of a pasture. |
Factors that limit the amount of current that will flow through the cow in a step voltage exposure
are:
- the strength of the voltage gradient on the earth's surface between the two points of contact
- the values of the contact resistance at each hoof
- the resistance of the cow's body
If the voltage gradient is small or the contact
resistance high, there will be little current through the cow, and no
need for concern about stray voltage. |
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