What is creepage and clearance distance?

What is creepage and clearance distance?

Clearance is the shortest distance in air between two conductive parts. Creepage distance means the shortest distance along the surface of a solid insulating material between two conductive parts.

How do you calculate creepage distance?

How to Determine Creepage Distance for Connectors

1. Creepage Distance/Air Gap: The Path of Least Resistance.
2. Check the Pins on the Connector Face.
3. Check the Backside of the Connector:
4. Check Female Contacts as well:
5. Check For Hidden Creepage Paths Inside the Connector.
6. Check for Hidden Creepage Paths Outside the Connector.

How do you measure creepage and clearance?

For example, it is often necessary to measure the creepage distance between two traces across the surface of a printed circuit board. b) Clearance Distance: “Clearance Distance” is the shortest distance through air between two conductive parts. For example, the air gap between the electrical terminals on a switch.

How do you calculate minimum creepage distance?

Adding the two figures together gives a total of 4.8 mm clearance distance. Similarly, if a voltage of 337 V rms was measured between the two pins of the switching transformer, Table IV (2L of the standard) must be used to calculate the creepage distance between the primary and secondary circuits.

What is creepage distance in insulators?

The creepage distance for insulators is the shortest distance along the insulator surface between the metal parts at each end of the insulator. Creepage distance can also be refer as leakage distance for insulators. If the surface of the insulator is clean, smooth and well gazed the dust particles tend to fall down.

What is the minimum safe distance from power lines?

10 feet
Work at a safe distance This is the most important rule: Work at a safe distance from all power lines. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that equipment be kept at least 10 feet away from power lines with voltages up to 50kV.

What is nominal creepage distance?

In very light polluted areas creepage distances less than 16 mm/kV can be used depending upon service experience. 12 mm/kV seems to be a lower limit. In cases of exceptional pollution a specific nominal creepage distance of 31 mm/kV may not be adequate.

Is standard for creepage distance?

Specifically, creepage is the shortest distance between the path of two conductive parts of a medical device and is measures along the surface of insulation. The clearance is similar, but very different. It [creepage] is the shortest distance between two conductive parts, measured through air.

What is the minimum clearance?

Maximum and minimum clearance The minimum clearance meanwhile is the difference between the lower bound of the orifice diameter and the upper bound of the shaft diameter. minimum clearance = minimum orifice diameter – maximum shaft diameter.

What is electrical clearance?

The electrical clearance is the electrical isolation between two conductive components, whereas the creepage indicates the conduction of electricity across the surface of a nonconductive component. The clearance and creepage distance are two important parameters while designing an electrical assembly.

How can creepage distance be improved?

Thinking back to the mountaintop metaphor, one way to increase creepage is to make a valley between the peaks. You can cut grooves or troughs into the PCB substrate to increase creepage. You can also sometimes cut slots all the way through the insulator to increase the distance.

What are the types of insulators?

A look at some types of insulators and the conditions under which they are deployed.

• Pin-type insulators.
• Line post insulators.
• Suspension insulators.
• Strain insulators.
• Shackle insulators.
• Post insulators.
• Cap and pin insulators.
• Stay insulators.

What is the difference between creepage and clearance on a PCB?

What are creepage and clearance distances? Creepage is the shortest distance between conductor traces on a PCB along the surface of the insulation material while clearance is defined as the minimum distance through the air (line of sight) between two conductor traces. Clearance and creepage distances between two PCB conductors.

Why do we care about connector creepage and clearance?

Every day Samtec’s Application Support Group answers questions about a connector’s mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance. One frequently discussed topic is connector creepage and clearance. Creepage and clearance is ultimately about safety and meeting regulatory standards, regardless of the system design.

Can a creepage distance be greater than clearance distance?

A creepage distance can’t be less than the clearance distance; in other words, the shortest creepage distance will be equal to the clearance distance. Connector manufacturers can increase creepage distances by adding grooves, notches, or plastic planes (i.e., walls) on the connector’s plastic insulator.

Why is creepage and clearance important in high voltage circuit boards?

Creepage and clearance distances of the traces become important at high voltages. Designing a high-voltage circuit board requires good knowledge of international safety standards and regulations such as IPC 2221A and UL 60950-1. Following these IPC standards ensures that the final product is safe and functional.