What is the primary role of bonding in electrical systems?

The primary role of bonding in electrical systems is to provide a path for electrical current under fault conditions. This is crucial for ensuring safety in electrical installations. When there is a fault, such as a short circuit, bonding facilitates the safe diversion of electrical current, allowing it to flow back to the ground and enabling protective devices, like circuit breakers or fuses, to operate correctly and disconnect the faulty circuit. This reduces the risk of equipment damage and prevents potential hazards, including electrical shock to personnel or the risk of fire.

While connecting different grounding electrodes and reducing the risk of electrical shock are important functions within an electrical system, they are not the primary role of bonding. Proper voltage management across circuits is also essential in electrical applications, but this function lies more within the scope of system design and circuit performance rather than the bonding process itself. Thus, the correct understanding of bonding emphasizes its role in fault conditions and safety.