Analysis of stacked rectangular patch antennas with nonalignedpatches or unequal patch sizes

Using the spectral domain technique, changes in the characteristics of electromagnetically coupled stacked rectangular patch antennas due to variations in the alignment of patches and patch sizes are investigated. Some of the observations can be used in the design of these antennas in order to equalize the input impedances at the resonances, shift the resonant frequencies, broaden the bandwidth, and estimate changes in the radiation patterns. It is specifically shown that a displacement in the top patch in the direction of resonance can broaden the beamwidth in the E-plane at the upper resonance at the expense of some distortion in the radiation pattern     

Analysis technique for interaction of high-frequency rhombicinducer field with cracks in metals

In the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) involving the ac field measurement (ACFM), a current carrying structure is required to induce the eddy current in the work-piece and a probe to sample the field. Due to its flat profile, slender shape, and other advantages, the rhombic wire loop is a suitable inducer for developing linear flexible arrays for the ACFM inspection of large surfaces of ferrous and nonferrous metals. This paper introduces an analysis technique for the evaluation of the interaction of the field of the rhombic inducer carrying a high-frequency current, with long surface cracks of uniform depth in flat metal plates. The technique is accurate and very efficient computationally. It uses the two-dimensional Fourier transform together with a special boundary condition at the metal surface. The boundary condition takes into account the thin-skin nature of the eddy current in the metal as well as the flux leakage at the crack mouth. The analysis technique benefits from the use of scalar potential functions and can be extended to simply or multiply connected wire loops. Also, it is applicable to high-frequency (thin-skin) eddy current problems. Using the analysis technique, the tangential field below a rhombic inducer along its long diagonal when the inducer is located above the surface of aluminum and steel is given in the presence and absence of a crack. This field was found to have a nonuniform phase distribution. Near a crack, the phase change is significant, even for shallow cracks. The role of the nonuniform phase in the detection sensitivity is addressed. Also, simulated ACFM crack responses using an inducer with a linear probe attached along the long diagonal are presented and discussed. To support the validity of the analysis technique, experimental results obtained for some of the simulations are also reported. In addition to its application in predicting crack responses, the technique can be used for model-based inversion of crack signals     

Pattern steerable square loop antenna

A novel form of square loop antenna for beam adaptive applications is presented and analysed. The square loop has four feeding points, which when excited one at a time steer the beam in four different space quadrants. Using current distribution a qualitative explanation for the radiation mechanism is also presented     

Parasitic voltages induced by artificial flaws when measured using the ac field technique

The development of a successful and accurate instrument for measuring surface-breaking cracks in metals using the ac field technique has raised several interesting theoretical problems. Measurements with the instrument, known as the Crack Microgauge, do not rely on any prior calibration against an artificial flaw such as a saw-cut in a test block, but some users accustomed to such a calibration from other devices have nevertheless wished to use the instrument in that fashion and have in some instances reported erroneous results. In this paper, we develop a simple theory to explain and quantify this phenomenon. We calculate the parasitic voltages induced in the instrument probe due to the finite opening possessed by an artificial flaw, and we use these results to reinterpret the instrument readings. Controlled experimental measurements on artificial flaws of rectangular cross-section made in aluminum and in steel are found to be in good agreement with the theory. It is shown, however, that application of the theory requires additional information about the internal phase shift associated with the instrument. To enhance the accuracy of the theory, the effect of the corners of the artificial flaws was also considered, although it was not very influential in this work.     

Simple electromagnetic detection of variations in properties ofmetal surfaces

Recently, a significant improvement in the sensitivity of the nonuniform AC field measurement technique for the detection of cracks was reported. In this paper, the results of the application of the improved technique in the detection of heat-effected zones and ground welds are presented and briefly discussed. In such applications, the use of a long probe is essential     

Beam steerable square loop antenna over hybrid high impedance surface

A novel hybrid high impedance surface is presented and a beam steerable four feed square loop antenna is built on this structure. At a test frequency of 4.7 GHz, the proposed hybrid high impedance surface based square loop antenna is 4.69 mm high and has an impedance bandwidth of 650 MHz and directivity of 8.7 dBi. Compared with the earlier reported steerable square loop antenna the new antenna s performance equates to a thickness reduction of 61, bandwidth enhancement of 150 , a directivity improvement of 2 dBi, a co-polar sidelobe reduction of 11 dB, and a cross-polarisation sidelobe reduction of 5 dB.     

Assay of advanced glycation endproducts in selected beverages and food by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection

Food and beverages contain protein glycation adducts--both early-stage adducts and advanced glycation endproducts. We determined the concentrations of glycation adducts in selected food and beverages by liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection. Cola drink contained low concentrations of glycation free adducts, whereas pasteurised and sterilised milk were rich sources of heat-stable glycation adduct residues--Nepsilon-carboxymethyl-lysine and Nepsilon-carboxyethyl-lysine. Laboratory rodent food was a rich source of advanced glycation endproducts. Measurement of glycation adducts in 24 h urine samples of normal and diabetic rats indicated that < 10% of glycation adduct residue consumption was excreted. Induction of diabetes by streptozotocin led to a 2-fold increase in urinary excretion of Nepsilon-carboxymethyl-lysine and a 27-fold increase in urinary excretion of methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone Ndelta-(5-hydro-5-methyl-4-imidazolon-2-yl)-ornithine - the latter was decreased by high-dose thiamine therapy that also prevented the development of nephropathy. We conclude that cola drinks are a poor source of glycation adduct whereas thermally processed milk is rich in glycation adducts. Dietary glycation adducts residues probably have low bioavailability. Experimental diabetes is associated with a marked increase in exposure to endogenous formation of methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone which is linked to the development of diabetic nephropathy.     

Bow-tie antennas on high dielectric substrates for MMIC and OEICapplications at millimetre-wave frequencies

A two-element bow-tie dipole antenna and a single-element bow-tie slot antenna fabricated on a high dielectric constant (ε_r=10.2) substrate are introduced for applications at millimetre-wave frequencies. The former antenna provides 2 GHz bandwidth at 35 GHz and the latter 1.3 GHz at 32.7 GHz. With a broadband match, these antennas would yield significantly higher bandwidths     

Calculation of antenna input impedance by TLM method

The transmission-line modelling (TLM) method has been successfully applied to compute many open boundary problems, such as current distribution on antennas and antenna radiation patterns. The method is further exploited to calculate the impedance of dipole antennas. A good agreement with the moment solution has been obtained over a wide frequency range. However, it was observed that the method is less accurate at low frequencies. Possible explanations are given for this shortcoming     

Unified approach to determination of modes in cylindrical cavities axisymmetrically loaded with dielectrics

Based on a variational expression, a unified approach for the determination of all modes in cylindrical cavities axisym-metrically loaded with dielectrics is presented. This approach employs one-dimensional finite-element basis functions along the r-axis, and uses a penalty term to alleviate the resulting spurious modes. Using this technique, the resonant frequencies of several cavities are calculated.