Table of Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 History of Radome Development 4
1.2 Types of Radomes 6
1.2.1 Solid Laminate 6
1.2.2 Inflatable 7
1.2.3 Sandwich 8
1.2.4 Metal Space Frame 8
1.2.5 Dielectric Space Frame 10
1.3 Organization of the Book 10
References 12
2 Sandwich Radomes 15
2.1 Transmission Line Analogy 16
2.2 Multilayer Analysis 17
2.3 Single Layer 22
2.4 A-Sandwich 28
2.5 B-Sandwich 31
2.6 C-Sandwich 33
References 37
Problems 37
3 Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) Radomes 39
3.1 Scattering Analysis of Planar FSS 40
3.2 Scattering Analysis of Multilayer FSS Structures 62
3.3 Metamaterial Radomes 72
References 86
Problems 87
4 Airborne Radomes 89
4.1 Plane Wave Spectrum Combined with Surface Integration Technique 91
4.1.1 Multilevel Algorithm for Radiation Pattern Computation 103
4.2 Surface Integration Technique Based on Equivalence Principle 109
4.3 Volume Integration Formulation Methods 123
4.3.1 Solution Using Fast Multipole Method 126
4.4 Differential Equation Formulation Methods 132
References 138
Problems 141
5 Scattering from Infinite Cylinders 145
5.1 Heterogeneous Beams—Volume Integral Equation Formulation 147
5.2 Homogeneous Beams—Surface Integral Equation Formulation 160
5.3 Conductive Beams—Surface Integral Equation Formulation 166
5.4 Tuned Beams—Surface Integral Equation Formulation 176
5.5 Scattering from Infinite Cylinders—Differential Equation Formulation 185
References 194
Problems 195
6 Ground-BasedRadomes 201
6.1 Scattering from an Individual Beam 203
6.2 Scattering Analysis of the Beams Assembly 206
6.2.1 Transmission Loss 211
6.2.2 Sidelobe Level Increment 211
6.2.3 Null Depth Increment 212
6.2.4 Beamwidth Change 212
6.2.5 Boresight Error 212
6.2.6 Boresight-Error Slope 213
6.2.7 Cross-Polarization Ratio 213
6.2.8 Antenna Noise Temperature 213
6.3 Geometry Optimization 215
6.4 Intermodulation Distortion in MSF Radomes 217
6.4.1 The IMP Effect in MSF Radomes 218
References 220
Problems 222
7 Measurement Methods 225
7.1 Panel Measurements 226
7.2 Characterization of Forward-Scattering Parameters 227
7.2.1 Far-Field Probing 228
7.2.2 Near-Field Probing 234
7.2.3 Focused-Beam System 240
References 252
Problems 254
Appendices 255
A Vector Analysis 255
A. 1 Coordinate Transformations 255
A.1. 1 Azimuth over Elevation Positioner 256
A.1. 2 Elevation over Azimuth Positioner 257
A. 2 Vector Differential Operators 258
B Dielectric Constants and Loss Tangent for Some Radome Materials 261
C Basic Antenna Theory 263
C.1 Vector Potentials 263
C.2 Far-Field Approximation 267
C.3 Directivity and Gain 269
C.4 Antenna Noise Temperature 269
C.5 Basic Array Theory 270
D Conjugate Gradient Algorithm 273
References 274
Index 275