Final answer:
Grounding connects a conductor to earth at zero volts for safety, while bonding connects non-current-carrying parts to this grounding system. Both practices prevent hazards, with devices like circuit breakers protecting against excessive currents. These are essential for safe and regulation-compliant electrical installations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Grounding and Bonding in Electrical Systems
In electrical engineering, grounding refers to the process of connecting a conductor to the earth with a good conductor, ensuring that it is fixed at zero volts. This is an important safety measure because it provides a path for electrical current to follow in the event of a fault, thereby minimizing the risk of electric shock or damage to equipment. Bonding is the practice of connecting all the non-current-carrying metallic parts of an electrical installation (such as frames, enclosures, equipment) to the grounding system to ensure that these parts do not become energized. In the case of ungrounded systems, bonding is crucial as it ensures that a ground fault will create a low-resistance path to ground, leading to the opening of a circuit breaker or blowing of a fuse.
Electrical safety systems and devices play a key role in preventing hazards. For instance, circuit breakers and fuses are designed to interrupt excessive currents to prevent thermal hazards. In a three-wire system used in many appliances, both the neutral wire and the metal case are connected to ground, providing protection against electric shock.
The use of grounding and bonding in electrical systems is not merely a regulatory requirement but a critical aspect of ensuring the safety of people and the operational integrity of the electrical equipment.