Wave Propagation in Overhead Wires

with Ground Return

By JOHN R. CARSON

T composed
H E problem of wave propagation along a transmission system
of an overhead wire parallel to the (plane) surface of
the earth, in spite of its great technical importance, does not appear
to have been satisfactorily solved.' While a complete solution of
the actual problem is impossible, on account of the inequalities in the
earth's surface and its lack of conductive homogeneity, the solution
of the problem, where the actual earth is replaced by a plane homo-
geneous semi-infinite solid, is of considerable theoretical and practical
interest. The solution of this problem is given in the present paper,
together with formulas for calculating inductive disturbances in
neighboring transmission systems.
The axis of the wire is taken parallel to the a-axis at height h
above the xz-plane and passes through the y-axis at point 0' as
shown in Fig. 1 herewith. The "image" of the wire is designated
by 0".
For y>O (in the dielectric) the medium is supposed to have zero
conductivity, while for y< 0 (in the ground) the conductivity of the
medium is designated by X. The xz-plane represents the surface of
separation between dielectric and ground.
We consider a wave propagated along the a-axis and the current,
charge and field are supposed to contain the common factor
exp (- fz+iwt) , which, however, will be omitted for convenience in
the formulas. The propagation constant, I', is to be determined. It is
assumed, ab initio, as a very small quantity in c.g.s. units."
In the ground (y ~O) the axial electric force is formulated as the
, See Rudenberg, Zt. f. Angewandt, Math. u. Mechanik, Band 5, 1925. In that
paper the current density in the ground is assumed to be distributed with radial
symmetry. The resulting formulas 'arc not in agreement with those of the present
paper. Since this paper was set up in type I have learned that formulas equivalent
to equations (26), (28), (31) for the mutual impedance of two parellel wires were
obtained by my colleague, Dr. ·C;. A. Campbell, in 1917. It is to be hoped that
his solution will be published shortly.
I The simplifying assumptions introduced in this analysis are essentially the same
as those employed and discussed in "\Vave Propagation Over Parallel Wires: The
Proximity Effect," Phil. Mag., Vol. xli, April, 1921.
539

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 540 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

general solution, symmetrical with respect to x, of the wave equation;

thus
y~O (1)
where
a=411"~w,
}. = conductivity of ground in elm. c.g.s, units,
i=vCf.
w/211"=frequency in cycles per second.
(In the following analysis and formulas, elm. c.g.s. units are employed
throughout).

, , .\ /
;-

o /
P /, /

,
,,/8 / "
p( " / "
\
,
\
\
,
\
\

P\ II '

\ I
, 1,1
,6 1
\I
\1
~
o"
Fig. 1

Assuming that in the ground Ex and E y are negligible compared

with E a, we have from the formula, curl E= - ~Il,
u.,Il,,= - ;yE a

u.,Il,=;xE.·

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 WAVE PROPAGATION 541

(2)

(3)

it being understood that y ~o. The function F(p.) in the preceding

formulas is to be determined by the boundary conditions.
In the dielectric, II" and IIy may be regarded as composed of two
components; thus
H"=II,,O+II,,',
IIy=IIyo+IIy',
where II"o, IIyo designate the field due to the current 1 in the wire, and
H/, H/ the field of the ground current.
Neglecting axial displacement currents in the dielectric, and as-
suming that the wire is of sufficiently small radius so that the distri-
bution of current over its cross section is symmetrical, we have

a'.21,
H %0= cos , (4)
p

(5)

where p' = vx + (y - h)2,

2

h-y
cos a'=-,-, (6)
p

sin a'=x/p'.
The secondary magnetic field IIx', II/ is taken as

IIx' = .£00 q,(p.)cos xp..e-YPdp., (7)

(8)

At the surface of separation y=O, H"o, Hyo are expressible as the

Fourier integrals
H"o= 21 [00 cos xp..e-hPdp., (9)

Hyo = 21[00 sin xp..e-hPdp.. (10)

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 542 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

Also at the surface of separation of the two media (y=O), H" and H y
must be continuous. Equating the values of H" and H y at y=O,
as given by (2), (3) and by (7), (8) and (9), (10), we have
1
iw V p.2+ia.F(p.) = 2I.e- h,u+ et»(p.) ,

?-p..F(p.) =2I.e-hp.-et»(p.),
tw
whence
(11)

(12)

which determines the functions F(p.) and et»(p.).

Inserting the value of F(p.), as given by (11) in (1), the axial electric
force E. in the ground (y ~ 0) and therefore the distribu tion of current
density in the ground is expressed as a Fourier integral in terms of the
frequency w/27r, the current I in the wire, the height It of the wire
above ground, and the conductivity A of the ground. Similarly the
insertion of et»(p.), as given by (12) in formulas (7) and (8) gives the
magnetic field 1I", lIy in the dielectric. Thus
oa e-p.h -
E.(x,y) =E.= -i4wI lo _/
v 2+' + ey V P.2+ ia cos xp..dp.,
p. ta p.
y~O. (13)

This can be further simplified if we write

x'=xV~
y'=y~
h'=hv'~,
whence
E.= -4wIfaoa (Vp.2+i_p.)e- h·p..ey ' V P.2+ i cos x'p. dp., y~O. (14)

The axial electric force in the dielectric is now to be formulated.

This is always derivahle from a vector and a scalar potential; thus

E.= -iwA.- :z V. (15)

where A. is the vector potential of the axial currents, and V the

scalar potential. Consequently,

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 WAVE PROPAGATION 543

E.(x,y) -E.(x,O) = -iw(A.(x,y) -A.(x,O» - ~Z(V(X,y) - Yo). (16)

Here E.(x,O) is the axial electric intensity at the surface of the ground
plane (y = 0), and
A.(x,y) - A.(x,O) = l Y
H,,(x,y)dy. (17)

V(x,y) - Vo is the difference in the scalar potential between the point

x,y and the ground, which is due to the charges on the wire and on
the surface of the ground. For convenience, it will be designated by V.
By means of (16) and the preceding formulas we get 3

E.= _4wI'£00 (V #,2+i_#,)e-(h'+Y')~ cos x'#' d#,

(18)
- i 2wI log (p" / p') - ~z V, y~O

where
p'=,/ (II - y)2+x2
= distance of point x,y from wire,
p" = ,/(h+y)2+X2
=distance of point x,y from image of wire.

The first two terms on the right hand side of (18) represent the
electric force clue to the varying magnetic field j the term - Q. V
az
represents the axial electric intensity due to the charges on the surface
of the wire and the ground. If Q be the charge per unit length, V
is calculable by usual electrostatic methods on the assumption that
the surface of the wire and the surface of the ground are equipotential
surfaces, and their difference of potential is QIC where C is the electro-
static capacity between wire and ground.'

II
By aid of the preceding analysis and formulas, we are now in a
position to derive the propagation constant, r, and characteristic
impedance, K, which characterize wave propagation along the system.
Let z denote the "internal" or "intrinsic" impedance of the wire per
3 As a check on this formula noll' that together with (14) it satisfies the condition
of continuity of E. at y =0.
4 See "Wave Propagation Over Parallel Wires: The Proxirnirv Effect," Phil, }'fag.,
Vol. xli, Apr., 1921.

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 544 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

unit length. (With small error this may usually be taken as the resist-
ance per unit length of the wire.) The axial electric intensity at the
surface of the wire is then zI. Equating this to the axial electric in-
tensity at the surface of the wire as given by (18) and replacing a/az
by - I', we have
zI = - 4wI [00 (Vp.2+i _ p.)e-2h'/1dp.
(19)
-c 2wI.log (p" fa) +r V.
Writing V=Q/C and
iwQ=rI-GV=rI-gQ,

where G is the leakage conductance to ground per unit length, we

have, solving for r,

Writing this in the usual form

(21)

the characteristic impedance is given by

K = R+iX
2
(22)
G+iwC
and the series impedance per unit length of the circuit is

R+iX =Z =z+i2w.log (p" /a)+4w [00 (V p.2+i-p.)e-2h'/1dp.. (23)

It will be observed that the first two terms on the right hand side of
(23) represent the series impedance of the circuit ~f the ground is a per-
fect conductor; the infinite integral formulates the effect of the finite
conductivity of the ground.
The mutual impedance 6 Z12 between two parallel ground return
circuits with wires at heights hi and h 2 above ground and a separation
x between their vertical planes is given by
oo
Z12=i2w.log (p"/p')+4wl (Vp.2+i_p.)e-(hl'H")/1 cos x'p. dp., (24)

I It will be noted that the mutual impedance is equal to the axial electric intensity
at the axis of the second wire due to the varying magnetic field of unit current in
the first wire and its accompanying distribution of ground current.

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 WAVE PROPAGATIO.V 545

where
p" = y (III+h 2)2+ X2
p' = Y(/~I-h2)2+X2
hi' =hl~
h2'=h2~
x' = xv-;;.
From the preceding the series self impedance of the ground return
circuit may be conveniently written as
z=zo+z' (25)
and the mutual impedance as
Z12=Z'l2+Zi2 (26)

where ZO, Z:2

are the self and mutual impedances respectively, on the
assumption of a perfectly conducting ground, and

Z'=4w'£"" (yp,2+i_p,)e- 2h'Jldp" (27)

Zb =4w 1"" (yp,2+i~p,)e-(hl'+h'')Jl cos x'p, dp,. (28)

The calculation of the circuit constants and the electromagnetic

field in the dielectric depends, therefore, on the evaluation of an
infinite integral of the form

J(p,q) =J= J:"" (yp,2+i-p,)e- PJl. cos qp, dp,. (29)

In terms of this integral

Z' =4w.J(2h'.0) (30)
Z~2=4w.J(h1'+M, x'). (31)
To the solution of the infinite integral J(p,q) we now proceed.

III
The solution of equation (29), that is, the evaluation of J(P,q)
can be made to depend on the solution of the infinite integral

1""
°....
y p,2+ a.2.e-PJldp,

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 546 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

which has been worked out and communicated to me by R. M. Foster.

It is

where K) (x) is the Bessel function of the second kind and first order
as defined by Jahnke und Emde, Funktionentafeln, pg. 93, and
G(x) is the absolutely convergent series

On the basis of this solution, it is a straightforward though intricate

and tedious process to derive the following solution for J(p,q) of
equation (29).

Writing '=Vp2+ q2 and 8=tan-)(q/p), it is J=P+iQ

in which

P= ; (1-54)+ ~ (log ~,)52+ ~ 8.52'

(32)
111
- V2 IT) + "2 IT2 + V 2 ITa.

(33)

In these equations log 'Y is Euler's constant:

'Y = 1.7811, log ~ = 0.11593, log 'Y = 0.57722 and IT), IT~. ITa, IT4, 52, 52',
'Y
54. 5i I are infinite series defined as follows:
1 (,)2 1
52=112! "2 cos 28- 3!4!"2
(,)6 cos 68+ ....
, 1
52 =1!2!"2
(,)2.sin 28- 3!4!"2
1 (,)6 . 6 +
sin 8 ... ,

54=2!3!
1 (,)4 1 (') 8
2 cos 48- 4!5! \2 cos 88+ ....

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 WAVE PROPAGATION 547

, 1 (r) 4 • 4 1 (r) 8 + ...,

S4 = 2!3! 2 sin 8 - 4 15! 2 8 •
sm 8

_ r3 cos 38 r7 cos 78 + r11 cos 118

0"3- 32.5 -32.52.72.9 32.52.72.92.112.13 ... I

It is to be regretted that the foregoing formulas appear so com-

plicated. The series, however, are very rapidly convergent and for
r~2 only the two leading terms of each series need be retained. For
r ~ 1, only the leading terms are of importance.
For the important range r~I/4,

1 r
2
p = 8- 3V2' cos 8+ 1G cos 28 0.6728+log
7r 2) + 16r 8 sm 28,
2

r
( •
(34)

Q= -0.0386+ 2 log 1 (2) 1 r cos 8.

r + 3V2 (35)

For r>5 the following asymptotic expansions, derivable from (29)

by repeated partial integrations, are to be employed.

p = _1_ cos 8 _ cos 28 + 1_ cos 38 + 3_ _ ~os 58 (36)

,/2 r r2 ,/2" r3 '\,./2 r" ... ,
r>5.
=_1_ cos 8 __
1 _ cos 38+~ cos 58_
(37)
Q V2 r V2 r3 V2 r" ... I

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 548 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

For large values of r(r>10), these reduce to

= l + i cos 8 _ cos 28 10 (38)

J _ /- 2 ,r> .
v2 r r

In view of the somewhat complicated character of the function in

the range 1/4;;;ir;;;i5 the curves shown below have been computed.

These show J=P+iQ as a function of r for 8=0, ;, ~, 38'l1" , ;. By

interpolation it is possible to estimate with fair accuracy the value

of the functions for intermediate values of 8.

.4 0
r-,
.a
:~\
4 ~\ \

.~ 2
~' \
~\ \
~\ \
.~ 0

.2

.2
~ l\\
2
~\\
~\
.2 0
~
'l\
i\,.
.1

.1 G
~
\~ ~.
.1 4

.1 2
-, ~ ~

~~ ~ """--
0

.OB
-. <,
<, ~
I"-. ~
<,
.06

-----
.0 4

-
Value5 of I'
-r. z, o. 6.0

Fig. 2 P = real part of J

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 WAVE PROPAGATION 549

I. 1
\
1
I. 0

.9

\
1

.r.
\~
\\ ~D
~'-

.J
1 ~
~~
<. ~ ~1-
.Z

.1
~ I--
•
,t
Values of ..
0 '.0 2.0 JI O _ _ _4.0 ... 0 _ _'

Fig.3 Q=imaginary part of J

IV
The theory and formulas of the preceding sections will now be
reviewed and summarized as regards their principal applications to
technical transmission problems where the ground forms, in whole
or part, the "return" part of the circuit. In such problems we are
interested in the electric intensity in the dielectric and in the ground,
and in particular in the self impedance and mutual impedances of
ground return circuits. The calculation of these quantities is pro-
vided for by the general analysis and the solution of the infinite
integral J. Reference should be made to Fig. 1 shown in section I
for the geometry of the system and coordinate system employed.

1. The Axial Electric Intensity E. in the Dielectric. (See equations

(15) and (18) ).

E.= - ~ V - (i2w log (p" / pi) +4wJ) I

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 550 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

where
p'=y(h-y)2+ x2
= distance of point in dielectric from axis of wire.
pIt= y(h+y)2+x2
=distance of point in dielectric from. image of wire.
r=p"~
e = sin-l(x/ pIt)
a = 47r}."'.
These values of rand e are, of course, to be employed in calculating
J=P+iQ from the formulas and curves of the preceding section.
As a special case the electric intensity at the surface of the earth is
E.= -4",JI
pIt = yh2+X2
r=p"ya
e = sin-I(x/ pIt)

2. Self Impedance of Ground Return Circuit. (See equations (25).

(27), (30) ).
Z=zo+4",J
ZO=self impedance with perfectly conducting ground.
r=2hya
e=o.
3. Mutual Impedance of Ground Return Circuits. (See equations (26),
(28), (31) ).
Z12=Z~2+4",J
Z~2=mutual impedance with perfectly conducting ground.
r= ~V(hl+h2)2+x2=p"V;;
e=sin- 1 (x/P").
The axial electricintensity E. in the ground (y < 0) is given by equation
(I), and the subsequent analysis, whence

E.= -4",1Joi"' C"/-- (h' + -as:»

~2+i-~).cos x'u.e" p. g p. • d~

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 WAVE PROPAGATION 551

where. as before
x'=x~

h' =hya
ind
g' = ~ times the depth below the surface of the ground.
=g~

The integral can undoubtedly be evaluated in somewhat the same way

as (29) and can in any case be numerically computed without much
difficulty. Owing, however; to the secondary technical interest in the
electric intensity below the surface of the earth, the detailed solution
has not been undertaken, nor has the magnetic field been worked out.

v
The practical utility of the preceding theory and formulas will now
be illustrated by a brief sketch of their application to two important
transmission prohlems.
THE \V AVE ANTENNA

When a transmission line with "ground return" is employed as a

radio receiving antenna it is called a wave antenna. The theory and
design of such an antenna requires a knowledge of the transmission
characteristics of the ground return circuit. which are calculable, as
shown above. from the geometry and constants of the overhead wire,
together with Z' = 4wJ, which may be termed the "ground return"
impedance.
We assume that the wire is approximately 30 ft. above the ground
(h = 103) and that the frequency is 5.104 c.p.s. corresponding to the
frequency employed in Trans-Atlantic radio communication. The
ground conductivity A is exceedingly variable, depending on the
locality and weather conditions. Calculations of Z' will therefore
be made for two extreme cases, A= 10-12 and A= 10-14 which should
cover the range of variation encountered in practice.

ForA=1O- 12 ,
y;;'= Y411"Aw=2.1O-3
and for A = 10- 14 ,
a =2.10- 4•

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 552 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

Correspondingly, r=2h~ has the values 4.0 and 0.4, respectively.

Reference to the preceding formulas and curves for J, for r=4.0 and
r=OA, give
J=0.126+i 0.168, A= 10-12

J = 0.323+i 0.871, A= 10- 14

whence the corresponding values of Z' are

Z' =4w. (0.126+i 0.168),

Z' =4w. (0.323+i 0.871).

These are the "ground return" impedances per unit length in elm.
c.g.s, units; to convert to ohms per mile they are to be multiplied by the
factor 1.61 X 10-4• Consequently setting w='II".100, we get

Z' = 6,44'11"(1.3+i 1.7), A=1O- 12

Z' = 6.44'11" (3.2+i 8.7), A= 10-14 •

Comparison of these formulas shows that an hundred-fold increase

in the resistivity of the ground increases the resistance component of
the ground return impedance by the factor 2.5 and increases its
reactance only five-fold. That is to say. the ground return impedance
is not sensitive to wide variations in the resistivity of the earth, a
fortunate circumstance in view of its wide variability and our lack of
precise information regarding it.

INDUCTION FROM ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEMS

A particularly important application of the preceding analysis is

to the problems connected with the disturbances induced in parallel
communication lines by alternating current electric railways. As-
suming the frequency as 25 c.p.s., we have corresponding to A = 10-12
and A= 10-14,
y;-= 0045 X 10-4 and 0.45 X 10-5•
Taking the height of the trolley wire as approximately 30 ft., h = 10 3
and assuming the parallel telephone as the same height above ground
and separated by approximately 120 ft., x=4.10 3 , and

r= vaV(2h)2- r
=4A7X103~

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 WAVE PROPAGATION 553

and corresponding to the values of a taken above

r = 0.2 and 0.02 in round numbers,
while
4
9=sin-1 v'2O =63 0
30' approximately.

For both cases, therefore, we can employ, in calculating J=P+iQ,

the approximate formulas,

r
2 2
7r 1 r ( 2) r •
P=g - 3Y2r. cos 9+ cos 29 .6728+log
16
+ 169510 29,

Q= - 0.0386+} log (~ ) + 3 ~-t cos 9.

For}. = 10-12 and r = 0.2, this gives

J =0.369+i 1.135
and
Z~2=4w(0.369+i 1.135).

The foregoing assumes that the only return conductor is the ground.
If, however, an equal and opposite current flows in the rail we must
subtract from the foregoing mutual impedance, the mutual impedance
between rail and telephone line; that is, the mutual impedance Z' 2
between the telephone line and a conductor at the surface of the
earth. For this case
pIt = Yh2+x2=4.12X 103

9=sin-l~ =76 0

07
cos 9=0.242, r=0.184 for}.= 10- 12.
The corresponding value of J is
J =0.378+i 1.165
and the resultant mutual impedance between railway and parallel
telephone line is,
Z~2=4w(0.369-0.378+i (1.135-1.165))
=4w(0.009-i 0.030).
The very large reduction in mutual impedance, due to the current
in the rail, is striking.

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 554 BELL SYSTEM TECHNICAL JOURNAL

For the case of >. = 10- 14, the corresponding calculations give

Z~2 = 4w(0.391 +i 2.27)

with no current in rail, and
Z~2=4w( -O.OOl-i 0.002)

with equal and opposite current in rail. It is evident from these

figures that the reduction in mutual impedance, due to the current
in the rail, is practically independent of the ground conductivity, at
least at the separation specified.

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