Retrofit Electromagnetic Shielding of CSST to Mitigate Fires from Lightning Transients, AC Fault Currents, and Ground Potential Rise

Retrofit Electromagnetic Shielding of CSST to Mitigate Fires from Lightning Transients, AC Fault Currents, and Ground Potential Rise | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Retrofit Electromagnetic Shielding of CSST to Mitigate Fires from Lightning Transients, AC Fault Currents, and Ground Potential Rise Karthikeyan Ramanathan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9580330/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST), installed in an estimated 6 to 12 million American homes since 1988, represents a systematically underreported residential fire hazard. The thin CSST wall (0.15--0.25 mm) renders it acutely vulnerable to arc perforation by lightning-induced transients. The industry's primary regulatory response---bonding CSST to the building's electrical grounding system per ICC IFGC \S310.2---is demonstrated to be physically counterproductive. It communicates Ground Potential Rise (GPR) to the gas tube while leaving the principal proposed arc source unaddressed: an ungrounded array of metallic roof fasteners that accumulate charge toward cloud potential through electrostatic induction, behaving as distributed corona electrodes above the CSST runs below. Drawing on Gauss's Law, Maxwell's equations, the coaxial cable shielding analogy, and laboratory perforation testing, this paper develops a physical framework establishing that retrofit electromagnetic shielding---a continuous external conductive enclosure applied from manifold to appliance terminus---is the only engineering measure that simultaneously resolves all three identified arc failure modes: lightning-induced arc initiation from the roof fastener array; GPR-driven jacket breakdown communicated through the bonding connection; and 60 Hz AC fault current arcing from household wiring in shared spaces. Because the retrofit shield intercepts external electromagnetic energy on its outer surface while isolating the gas tube within, it renders the bonding mandate unnecessary and provides the highest degree of protection achievable against the full spectrum of identified arc hazards---a universality of coverage no currently deployed single measure, including arc-resistant CSST products and the bonding mandate itself, can match. Corrugated stainless steel tubing CSST electromagnetic shielding Faraday cage lightning fire ground potential rise action integral arc perforation retrofit shielding corona discharge coaxial cable analogy fire safety engineering Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 07 May, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 07 May, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 02 May, 2026 First submitted to journal 30 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9580330","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":633395108,"identity":"a3114957-cd4a-409a-95aa-b3592dc811d8","order_by":0,"name":"Karthikeyan Ramanathan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAu0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFCCBIYDDBVgFhspWs6AGMwkaGFgbCNFC397duLhwnl3Ere39x978HEPgzy/2AH8WiTOvN1weOa2Z4lzzhxmN5zxjMFw5uwEAtbcyN1wmHfb4cQZEsls0jwHGBIMbhPQIg/WMocULQZgLQ2kaDEE+YXn2DPjGTyHzSRnHJAg7Be547mbP/PU3JGdwd74TOLDARt5fmkCWqDggGMDhCFBlHKwFnuilY6CUTAKRsHIAwCBZ0nNuuA09AAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"PyroThor LLC","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Karthikeyan","middleName":"","lastName":"Ramanathan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-30 18:09:31","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9580330/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9580330/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":108494112,"identity":"155fb408-4403-4ee9-990e-85531d234122","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-05-05 10:02:36","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1051157,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"retrofitcsst.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9580330/v1_covered_47e46f46-afcd-40bc-a1f8-7ef4ad176d70.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Retrofit Electromagnetic Shielding of CSST to Mitigate Fires\nfrom Lightning Transients, AC Fault Currents, and Ground Potential Rise","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"fire-technology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"fire","sideBox":"Learn more about [Fire Technology](http://link.springer.com/journal/10694)","snPcode":"10694","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/10694/3","title":"Fire Technology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Corrugated stainless steel tubing, CSST, electromagnetic shielding, Faraday cage, lightning fire, ground potential rise, action integral, arc perforation, retrofit shielding, corona discharge, coaxial cable analogy, fire safety engineering","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9580330/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9580330/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eCorrugated Stainless Steel Tubing (CSST), installed in an estimated 6 to 12 million American homes since 1988, represents a systematically underreported residential fire hazard. The thin CSST wall (0.15--0.25 mm) renders it acutely vulnerable to arc perforation by lightning-induced transients. The industry's primary regulatory response---bonding CSST to the building's electrical grounding system per ICC IFGC \\S310.2---is demonstrated to be physically counterproductive. It communicates Ground Potential Rise (GPR) to the gas tube while leaving the principal proposed arc source unaddressed: an ungrounded array of metallic roof fasteners that accumulate charge toward cloud potential through electrostatic induction, behaving as distributed corona electrodes above the CSST runs below. Drawing on Gauss's Law, Maxwell's equations, the coaxial cable shielding analogy, and laboratory perforation testing, this paper develops a physical framework establishing that retrofit electromagnetic shielding---a continuous external conductive enclosure applied from manifold to appliance terminus---is the only engineering measure that simultaneously resolves all three identified arc failure modes: lightning-induced arc initiation from the roof fastener array; GPR-driven jacket breakdown communicated through the bonding connection; and 60 Hz AC fault current arcing from household wiring in shared spaces. Because the retrofit shield intercepts external electromagnetic energy on its outer surface while isolating the gas tube within, it renders the bonding mandate unnecessary and provides the highest degree of protection achievable against the full spectrum of identified arc hazards---a universality of coverage no currently deployed single measure, including arc-resistant CSST products and the bonding mandate itself, can match.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Retrofit Electromagnetic Shielding of CSST to Mitigate Fires\nfrom Lightning Transients, AC Fault Currents, and Ground Potential Rise","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-05-05 04:44:56","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9580330/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-05-07T21:31:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-05-07T14:08:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-05-02T15:09:53+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Fire Technology","date":"2026-04-30T17:57:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"fire-technology","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"fire","sideBox":"Learn more about [Fire Technology](http://link.springer.com/journal/10694)","snPcode":"10694","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/10694/3","title":"Fire Technology","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4a119513-72f1-4571-8750-7ec6edf3c88a","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 5th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"4","date":"2026-05-07T21:31:28+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-05-07T14:08:12+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-05-02T15:09:53+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Fire Technology","date":"2026-04-30T17:57:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-07T21:38:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-05-05 04:44:56","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9580330","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9580330","identity":"rs-9580330","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}