Aramid/epoxy composites sandwich structures for low-observable radomes

Low-observable radomes are usually made of E-glass/epoxy composite due to its low dielectric constant which is necessary not to interfere electromagnetic (EM) wave transmission characteristics. Since aramid fibers have lower dielectric constant and higher strength than those of E-glass fiber, aramid fiber radome structures may have better the EM transmission and mechanical characteristics than those of E-glass/epoxy radomes. In this work, the low-observable radome was constructed with a sandwich construction composed of aramid/epoxy composites faces, foam core and Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) which had the abilities of transmitting EM waves selectively in the X-band range. The EM wave transmission characteristics of the low-observable radome were simulated by a 3-dimensional electromagnetic analysis software and also measured by the free space measurement method with respect to the pattern size of FSS and foam cores. The mechanical properties of the low-observable radome made of aramid/epoxy composite were measured by the 3-point bending test and compared to those of the conventional low-observable radome made of E-glass/epoxy composite.     

Graded Dielectric Inhomogeneous Planar Layer Radome for Aerospace Applications

Controllable artificial dielectrics are used in the design of radomes to enhance their electromagnetic (EM) performance. The fabrication of such radome wall structures with controllable dielectric parameters seems to be an arduous task. Further even minor fluctuations of dielectric properties of radome wall due to fabrication uncertainties tend to result in drastic degradation of radome performance parameters. In the present work, a novel inhomogeneous radome with graded variation of dielectric parameters is proposed which limits the constraints on fabrication and facilitates excellent EM performance characteristics. This radome wall consists of five dielectric layers cascaded such that the middle layer has maximum dielectric constant and electric loss tangent. The dielectric parameters of the layers on both sides of the middle layer decrease in a graded (or step-wise) manner. The EM performance characteristics of the IPL radome with graded dielectric parameters are superior to that of conventional monolithic half-wave radome.     

Effects of a damaged composite face to the electromagnetic wave transmission characteristics of low-observable radomes

E-glass/epoxy composites and aramid/epoxy composites are suitable materials for EM (electromagnetic) transmission systems because they have low dielectric constants, particularly good for the construction of radomes. The low-observable radome not only selectively transmits the EM wave to antenna systems, but also protects the internal antenna system from external impacts.     

A Novel Metamaterial FSS-based Structure for Wideband Radome Applications

A novel metamaterial based FSS (frequency selective surfaces) structure is presented in this paper for wideband airborne radome applications. The proposed metamaterial-FSS structure consists of three layers, where a DPS (double positive sign) layer is sandwiched between a MNG (μ-negative) and ENG (ε- negative) layer, exhibits very good bandpass characteristics inside the operational band along with excellent roll-off characteristics outside the band. The EM performance analysis of the proposed structure has been carried out using transmission line transfer matrix (TLTM) method, which shows excellent bandpass characteristics over a wide frequency range. The transmission efficiency is over 95% both at normal incidence and at high incidence angles of 30°, and 60°. The frequency range extends from S- to X-band (2.5-9.9 GHz). In view of streamlined airborne radome applications, the reflection properties and insertion phase delay (IPD) are also determined at high incident angles.     

地面雷达罩材料的研究进展

综述了地面雷达罩用复合材料的国内外研究进展,简要总结高性能地面雷达罩材料需要满足的要求。并评述各种增强纤维、基体树脂和夹层材料优缺点及其改性方法,展望未来地面雷达罩材料的发展趋势。     

Nanocomposite stealth radomes with frequency selective surfaces

The stealth function of the radome (Radar + Dome) is to transmit or reflect the EM (electromagnetic) wave selectively through the radome. In this work, the stealth radome for aircrafts and warships was developed with the FSS (frequency selective surfaces), PVC foam, and nanoclay-dispersed E-glass fabric/epoxy composite. The water diffusivity of nanocomposites, which changes the stealth characteristics, was measured with respect to the contents of nanoclay. The EM transmission characteristics were measured by the free space measurement system in the X-band frequency range (8.2–12.4 GHz) with respect to the content of nanoclay. Also, the flexural strength of the sandwich construction composed of the nanocomposite, PVC foam, and FCCL (flexible copper clad laminate) was measured by the 3-point bending test.     

Electromagnetic Performance Analysis of Novel Multi-band Metamaterial FSS for Millimeter Wave Radome Applications

The electromagnetic design and performance analysis of dual/ multi-band metamaterial frequency selective surface (FSS) structures have been carried out for radome applications in microwave and millimeter wave frequency regimes. The proposed metamaterial FSS structure, consisting of cascaded MNG (mu-nega -tive) and DPS (double positive) layers, exhibits dual-band transmission responses at V-band and W-band. Excellent transmission efficiency (more than 95%) has been obtained over the frequency range 45.8-53.1 GHz at first resonance, and from 93.0-97.1 GHz at second resonance. The incorporation of additional DPS layer to the proposed metamaterial-FSS structure facilitates multiband bandpass characteristics at 30 GHz (in Ka-band), 64 GHz (in V-band), and 93.6 GHz (in W-band). The reflection and insertion phase delay characteristics are also analyzed at high incidence angles in view of streamlined airborne nosecone radome applications.     

Experimental study of the effect of artificial charged aqueous aerosol cloud on model aircraft radome

The effect of artificial clouds of strongly charged aqueous aerosol on model aircraft radomes has been experimentally studied. It is established that the character of discharge development in the “charged aerosol cloud-inner electrode under model radome” gap significantly differs from that observed in the absence of the model radome. The presence of the dielectric radome in the gap between charged cloud and ground can lead to the phenomenon of reversal of the polarity of discharge current from the electrode (modeling antenna). Dependence of the discharge development and its characteristics on the size (volume) of space under radome has been studied. Possible physical mechanisms involved in the interaction of lightning discharges and thunderstorm clouds with radiotrasparent aircraft radomes and equipment arranged inside are considered.     

Use of conjugate dielectric and metamaterial slabs as radomes

An interesting application of left-handed metamaterials is proposed and numerically verified. Specifically, a structure consisting of a conventional dielectric slab adjacent to a metamaterial slab of the same width but of opposite material characteristics, is used as a radome. The behaviour of the structure for normal as well as for oblique incidence is considered. The results are satisfactory in both cases. It is shown that cylindrical structures similar to the aforementioned straight structures could also be used as radomes. However, the behaviour of the structure is non-reciprocal for incoming and outgoing waves. The dispersive finite-difference time-domain method is applied to study all the structures and the numerical results verify that the straight conjugate slabs are transparent in normal incidence and reduce the reflections for oblique incidence, which are the desirable characteristics for a radome     

大型分块介质天线罩电性能提升技术

采用阻抗匹配技术, 利用金属栅网电调谐单元, 对大型分块介质天线罩的板块接缝(或称加强肋)进行了电调谐优化设计, 优化设计的含有金属栅网的混合介质结构, 在保证接缝结构力学性能的前提下, 其透波性率比板块接缝本身的透波率提升约20%, 而且通过加载不同的金属栅网, 可以调整混合结构最佳透波的频率范围, 从而可用于不同频段天线罩的研制, 为研制高性能大型介质天线罩提供了一条新的技术途径。      

复合材料雷达罩耐鸟撞和电磁性能综合优化设计

对蜂窝夹芯复合材料雷达罩进行耐鸟撞优化设计以及耐鸟撞和电磁性能综合优化设计,优化设计变量是雷达罩分段后的总厚度和比例等,耐撞性优化目标是最大限度的减小雷达罩的损伤面积和保护雷达罩内的设备安全,体现在数值计算中减小雷达罩的失效单元数和鸟体的剩余动能;耐鸟撞和电磁性能的综合优化目标除满足以上目标外,也要求使电磁参数指标达到最优。优化软件中集成了显式动力分析软件LS-DYNA和电磁分析软件FEKO,采用了适合于复合材料壳单元冲击损伤的Chang-Chang模型。某算例的优化结果表明：合理的优化设置可以实现蜂窝夹芯复合材料雷达罩的耐鸟撞和电磁性能优化要求,并提高工程设计效率。     

EM characteristics of the RAS composed of E-glass/epoxy composite and single dipole FSS element

From the methods to reduce radar cross section (RCS) such as shaping of the target, radar absorbing material (RAM), and radar absorbing structure (RAS), the RAS composed of frequency selective surface (FSS) screens and low-loss composite materials is used widely because the FSS screen transmits or reflects electromagnetic (EM) waves selectively and the composite material withstands external loads. In this study, the RAS composed of the E-glass/epoxy composite and single dipole FSS element was fabricated by printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing process, and their EM transmission characteristics, such as a resonant frequency, a minimum transmission loss, and a transmission bandwidth, were measured in the X-band frequency range by the free space method with respect to the size of dipole element and its periodicity of array.     

Breakdown of model aircraft radome dielectric shell in artificial charged aerosol clouds

The breakdown of a model aircraft radome dielectric shell in artificial charged aqueous aerosol clouds has been experimentally studied. It is established that, in most cases, electric breakdown of a model shell takes place without explicit discharge development between a charged aqueous aerosol cloud and a model antenna arranged under the radome shell. The probabilities of the dielectric shell breakdown have been determined for various radome models. A possible mechanism of the shell breakdown in hollow dielectric radomes interacting with charged aqueous aerosol clouds and electric discharges in these clouds is proposed that takes into account the accumulation of charges of opposite signs on the internal and external surface of the radome.     

Radome health management based on synthesized impact detection,laser ultrasonic spectral imaging,and wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging methods

A radome must not only withstand various forces during operation, but also provide a window for electromagnetic signals. A radome is generally a composite sandwich structure. Much of the damage to radomes is barely visible to the naked eye on the outer surface, but is severe internally. In this study, a radome health management strategy consisting of in-flight damage event detection and ground damage evaluation processes is proposed. A radome health management system, composed of an on-board subsystem and a ground subsystem, was developed to realize the strategy. An in-flight event detection system was developed based on acoustic emission (AE) technology. A built-in amplifier-integrated PZT sensor was used, and the minimum impact energy that the on-board subsystem can detect was determined. The AE sensor was then switched to an ultrasonic receiver. A scanning laser ultrasonic technology was combined with the ultrasonic receiver to develop a ground nondestructive evaluation subsystem. For in situ damage visualization, laser ultrasonic frequency tomography and wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging algorithms were developed in this study. To demonstrate the robustness of the ground subsystem, a damage was generated by 5.42 J impact in a glass/epoxy radome with honeycomb core, and the impact image of 25 mm in diameter invisible outside could be visualized with the combination of ultrasonic spectral imaging (USI) and wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging (WUPI), which made the propagation of only the damage-related ultrasonic modes visible.     

Radome health management based on synthesized impact detection,laser ultrasonic spectral imaging,and wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging methods

A radome must not only withstand various forces during operation, but also provide a window for electromagnetic signals. A radome is generally a composite sandwich structure. Much of the damage to radomes is barely visible to the naked eye on the outer surface, but is severe internally. In this study, a radome health management strategy consisting of in-flight damage event detection and ground damage evaluation processes is proposed. A radome health management system, composed of an on-board subsystem and a ground subsystem, was developed to realize the strategy. An in-flight event detection system was developed based on acoustic emission (AE) technology. A built-in amplifier-integrated PZT sensor was used, and the minimum impact energy that the on-board subsystem can detect was determined. The AE sensor was then switched to an ultrasonic receiver. A scanning laser ultrasonic technology was combined with the ultrasonic receiver to develop a ground nondestructive evaluation subsystem. For in situ damage visualization, laser ultrasonic frequency tomography and wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging algorithms were developed in this study. To demonstrate the robustness of the ground subsystem, a damage was generated by 5.42 J impact in a glass/epoxy radome with honeycomb core, and the impact image of 25 mm in diameter invisible outside could be visualized with the combination of ultrasonic spectral imaging (USI) and wavelet-transformed ultrasonic propagation imaging (WUPI), which made the propagation of only the damage-related ultrasonic modes visible.     

Multi-frequency and multi-layer frequency selective surface analysis using modal decomposition equivalent circuit method

A new modal decomposition equivalent circuit method has been proposed for an analysis of multifrequency and multi-layer frequency selective structure (FSS). The present paper is an extension of the previously published work where it has been shown that the method is valid for `thin? and `thick? FSS both for angles of incidence up to 60°and for any lattices and potentially allows the synthesis of FSS by the optimisation of circuit parameters. Further investigation has shown the methods validity for the analysis of complex FSS geometries. The method has been successfully applied for the analysis of double-ring slot FSS, `A-sandwich? structures and so on. A very good agreement in comparison with the computational electromagnetic software and rigorous methods such as a periodic method of moments has been obtained.     

Studying electromagnetic interference spectrum in antenna under aircraft radome using models with artificial charged aerosol clouds

The spectrum of electromagnetic interference that is induced by discharges in an antenna arranged under an aircraft radome in an artificial charged aqueous aerosol cloud has been experimentally studied. It is established that, among different possible variants of lightning-arrest radomes, the minimum level of the spectral density of interference signals in the antenna is provided by vertical stripe electrodes on the radome surface. The maximum characteristic frequencies of signals in a model spherical antenna are several times lower than those in model lightning diverters, while the flat model antennas of disk or rectangular shapes exhibit the opposite trend. It has been suggested that a significant role in determining the characteristics of the electromagnetic interference spectrum in weather radar antennas is played by currents of discharges generated by charges accumulated on the dielectric radome surface.     

Fast and accurate modelling of frequencyselective surfaces using a new modular neural network configuration of multilayer perceptrons

The authors consider the analysis and modelling of the scattering from frequency-selective surfaces (FSSs), in the 6-14-GHz band, as a function of its periodic array geometry of thin dipole elements on an anisotropic layer. The accurate full-wave electromagnetic (EM) analysis of each FSS was carried out using the method of moments. From the available EM data, the artificial neural network (ANN) models can be developed. The modelling problem was solved by using a new modular configuration of multilayer perceptrons (MLPs), which is an implementation of the proposal modified from the previous knowledge method of neuromodelling information. Each MLP in the modular configuration was trained separately from the others through the resilient backpropagation algorithm. Within the region of interest studied, the ANN model developed is able to estimate the resonance frequencies and the bandwidths of the FSS band-stop filters, with high accuracy and low computational cost. To verify the advantageous properties of the modular MLP/MLP model, a neural model using a simple MLP was developed in order to analyse the same learning task. A comparative study was done between these models in terms of training the convergence, the accuracy and the computational cost.     

四边简支新型类方形蜂窝夹层结构振动特性研究

新型类方形蜂窝是六边形蜂窝的一种过渡形式,对其等效弹性参数和振动特性的研究具有重要意义。采用改进的Gibson公式对比分析了双壁厚与等壁厚类方形蜂窝夹芯的面内等效弹性参数的差异,并应用经典层合板理论分析了不同等效弹性参数下2种壁厚类型的四边简支类方形蜂窝夹层结构的振动特性,基于有限元仿真技术分析了不同壁厚类方形蜂窝夹层结构的振动特性,并与理论分析结果进行对比。结果表明等效弹性参数的数值模拟结果与理论值基本吻合。在蜂窝基本结构参数相同的条件下,双壁厚类方形蜂窝夹芯的面内等效剪切模量、面外刚度和等效密度均比等壁厚类方形蜂窝夹芯大;在低阶振动模态下,双壁厚类方形蜂窝夹层结构的固有频率比等壁厚类方形蜂窝夹层结构的低,在高阶振动模态下,双壁厚类方形蜂窝夹层结构的固有频率比等壁厚类方形蜂窝夹层结构的高;影响夹层结构固有频率的3个主要因素所占权重由大到小依次为蜂窝夹芯yoz面等效剪切模量、蜂窝夹芯等效密度,蜂窝夹芯壁厚。研究结果表明采用经典层结构理论计算得到类方形蜂窝夹层结构的固有频率与数值仿真结果的一致性较好,这进一步证明了采用改进Gibson公式得到的类方形蜂窝夹芯等效弹性参数的正确性,同时证明了将该振动理论运用到一般蜂窝夹层结构研究的可行性,为扩展研究其他类型蜂窝夹层结构振动特性奠定了基础。     

Radome design and measurements

Radome performance (transmission loss and boresight error) is evaluated by means of a computer code the input data of which are the geometry (radome shape, layered structure configuration, and antenna/radome relative position) and the antenna aperture magnetic current distribution. The latter is measured directly, thus avoiding the difficulty of characterizing the antenna under test. The spherical near field (SNF) measuring technique is applied. A radome has been designed using this approach and then manufactured and tested by means of a compact range. The comparison between experimental and theoretical results is quite good