To address the challenges in fault location in distribution networks

the distribution of magnetic field under overhead line and its relationship with three-phase currents are explored in this paper. At the same time

considering the influence of sensor installation position

line sag and galloping on magnetic field

a grounding fault location method of an overhead line based on dual-axis magnetic field trajectory is proposed. The analytical expressions of the magnetic field on the x-axis and y-axis under the overhead line are obtained by least squares fitting. The Lissajous figure synthesized by dual-axis is then compared with the general equation of an ellipse

and the characteristic quantity expression characterizing the magnetic field trajectory structure is obtained. Finally

a fault location criterion is constructed using the difference of the characteristic quantities of the ellipses synthesized by x-axis and y-axis magnetic fields upstream and downstream of the fault point

i.e.

the difference of the length of the major axis and the minor axis

and the sign for the ratio of the cosine value of the inclination angle. Compared with other location methods based on electrical quantity

the principle of this method is simpler and it can locate faults more quickly and accurately. A large number of simulation results show that the proposed method is suitable for different types of fault conditions.