American researchers have discovered how mechanical actions create static electricity. The model they created agrees well with experimental data. Anyone who has ever petted a cat for long enough or rubbed a balloon on its head knows that this friction creates static electricity that can lift hairs and create sensitive shocks. But there is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon yet.

Scientific consensus settled on the fact that friction produces static electricity in any insulator. The details of the process remained unclear. Experts attempted to explain the formation of the bullets by friction, but interpretation of the results required the use of unverified assumptions.

Recently, American researchers have studied the mechanics of the process. They found that at the micro level, friction between two materials bends surface irregularities. At the nano level, different mechanical deformations of the same irregularity create loads on the front and back parts of the object.

This difference causes opposite electric charges to build up on opposite sides of the object, creating a current that can cause a mild electric shock.

Scientists developed a model to calculate the amount of static electric current. The calculated values ​​for different cases were in good agreement with the experimental results. The study was published in the journal Nano Letters.

Scientists used the concept of elastic shear as the basis for the new model. It occurs when a material resists a shear force. For example, if someone pushes a plate onto a table and it resists. The plate stops moving as soon as the external force is applied. This additional friction caused by the shear resistance causes electric charges to move.

The static electric charge of beans significantly affects the grind and taste of coffee. If particles did not clump together due to the static electricity created when particles collided, Earth would probably never become a planet.

Static electricity doesn’t just make your hair stand on end when you’re walking downhill; it can also cause serious problems. Discharges and sparks cause industrial fires and explosions. Additionally, static electricity prevents the uniform dosage of powdered drugs. Understanding the mechanisms of static electricity generation will help develop new solutions to these problems.