Peak Factor

Definition: Peak Factor is defined as the ratio of maximum value to the R.M.S value of an alternating quantity. The alternating quantities can be voltage or current. The maximum value is the peak value or the crest value or the amplitude of the voltage or current.

The root mean square value is the amount of heat produced by the alternating current will be same when the direct supply of current is passed through the same resistance in the same given time.

Mathematically it is expressed as:

peak-factor-eq1
Where,
Im and Em are the maximum value of the current and the voltage respectively, and Ir.m.s and Er.m.s are the roots mean square value of the alternating current and the voltage respectively.

For the current varying sinusoidally, the peak factor is given as:
peak-factor-eq2
The value of Peak Factor is 1.4142

5 thoughts on “Peak Factor”

      1. for rectangular wave peak factor will be one because the peak value of rectangular wave is 1 and rms value is also one means there is no peak in the rectangular waveform.

    1. Yes, Average Current can be zero… Infact it is zero for alternating current which made it through one complete cycle

      But the form factor can’t be infinite because for the average current taken into consideration is for half cycles… NOT complete cycles..

      Have a nice day.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *