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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

GTD analysis of airborne antennas radiating in the presence of lossy dielectric layers

The patterns of monopole or aperture antennas mounted on a perfectly conducting convex surface radiating in the presence of a dielectric or metal plate are computed. The geometrical theory of diffraction is used to analyze the radiating system and extended here to include diffraction by flat dielectric slabs. Modified edge diffraction coefficients valid for wedges whose walls are lossy or lossless thin dielectric or perfectly conducting plates are developed. The width of the dielectric plates cannot exceed a quarter of a wavelength in free space, and the interior angle of the wedge is assumed to be close to 0 deg or 180 deg. Systematic methods for computing the individual components of the total high frequency field are discussed. The accuracy of the solutions is demonstrated by comparisons with measured results, where a 2 lambda by 4 lambda prolate spheroid is used as the convex surface. A jump or kink appears in the calculated pattern when higher order terms that are important are not included in the final solution. The most immediate application of the results presented here is in the modelling of structures such as aircraft which are composed of nonmetallic parts that play a significant role in the pattern.

Rojas-Teran, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Scan performance of dual offset reflector antennas for satellite communications

The basic numerical steps of a method to analyze dual offset reflector antennas are reviewed. The technique employs an alternative approach to calculating the secondary pattern of an arbitrarily shaped offset dual reflector antenna, and is based on the application of the geometrical theory of diffraction from the subreflector and physical optics (PO) scattering from the main reflector. The PO integral is evaluated using the Jacobi-Bessel series expansions, and numerical results are presented for the off-axis scan performance of an offset clear aperture Cassegrain antenna. Results indicate that the equivalent paraboloid concept can be used to determine the location of displaced feed and define the local optimal focal plane, and the scan performance of the Cassegrain reflector can be improved if the feed is located on the true opimal surface.

Rahmat-Samii, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A generalized method for determining radiation patterns of aperture antennas and its application to reflector antennas

The reflector antenna may be thought of as an aperture antenna. The classical solution for the radiation pattern of such an antenna is found by the aperture integration (AI) method. Success with this method depends on how accurately the aperture currents are known beforehand. In the past, geometrical optics (GO) has been employed to find the aperture currents. This approximation is suitable for calculating the main beam and possibly the first few sidelobes. A better approximation is to use aperture currents calculated from the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD). Integration of the GTD currents over and extended aperture yields more accurate results for the radiation pattern. This approach is useful when conventional AI and GTD solutions have no common region of validity. This problem arises in reflector antennas. Two dimensional models of parabolic reflectors are studied; however, the techniques discussed can be applied to any aperture antenna.

Paknys, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Large space antenna communications systems: Integrated Langley Research Center/Jet Propulsion Laboratory development activities. 2: Langley Research Center activities

The electromagnetic analysis activities at the Langley Research Center are resulting in efficient and accurate analytical methods for predicting both far- and near-field radiation characteristics of large offset multiple-beam multiple-aperture mesh reflector antennas. The utilization of aperture integration augmented with Geometrical Theory of Diffraction in analyzing the large reflector antenna system is emphasized.

Cambell, T. G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

High frequency scattering by a thin dielectric slab

The geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) is applied to the problem of a source in the presence of a three-dimensional thin dielectric slab. It is assumed that the reflection and transmission properties of the slab are known, and the slab is not lossy and/or multilayered. Two-dimensional thin dielectric layer scattering is analyzed when diffraction emanates from a single point, the source is not near the slab, and random energy approaching tangentially due to transmission is negligible. Coefficients are obtained for the scattering and the GTD solution is extended to the three dimensional case after development of a ray fixed coordinate system. The results are applied to a half wavelength dipole mounted above a square polystyrene covered ground plane.

Burnside, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

A GTD study of pyramidal horns for offset reflector antenna applications

An efficient computational method is demonstrated for determining the far-field patterns of reflectors illuminated by pyramidal horns. A uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) formulation is used to determine the near- and far-fields of the horn. The far-field patterns of the offset reflector are constructed using the physical optics (PO) formulation in conjunction with the Jacobi-Bessel expansion method. Many representative results are shown for the far-field patterns of the reflector. In particular, the concept of the optimum phase center for the best location of a horn illuminating a reflector is carefully studied and some useful observations are made.

Huang, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Secondary pattern computation of an arbitrarily shaped main reflector

The secondary pattern of a perfectly conducting offset main reflector being illuminated by a point feed at an arbitrary location was studied. The method of analysis is based upon the application of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to the aperture fields obtained using geometrical optics (GO) and geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD). Key features of the reflector surface is completely arbitrary, the incident field from the feed is most general with arbitrary polarization and location, and the edge diffraction is calculated by either UAT or by UTD. Comparison of this technique for an offset parabolic reflector with the Jacobi-Bessel and Fourier-Bessel techniques shows good agreement. Near field, far field, and scan data of a large reflector are presented.

Lam, P. T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Numerical methods for analyzing electromagnetic scattering

Attenuation properties of the normal modes in an overmoded waveguide coated with a lossy material were analyzed. It is found that the low-order modes, can be significantly attenuated even with a thin layer of coating if the coating material is not too lossy. A thinner layer of coating is required for large attenuation of the low-order modes if the coating material is magnetic rather than dielectric. The Radar Cross Section (RCS) from an uncoated circular guide terminated by a perfect electric conductor was calculated and compared with available experimental data. It is confirmed that the interior irradiation contributes to the RCS. The equivalent-current method based on the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) was chosen for the calculation of the contribution from the rim diffraction. The RCS reduction from a coated circular guide terminated by a PEC are planned schemes for the experiments are included. The waveguide coated with a lossy magnetic material is suggested as a substitute for the corrugated waveguide.

Lee, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Secondary pattern computation of an arbitrarily shaped main reflector

The secondary pattern of a perfectly conducting offset main reflector being illuminated by a point feed at an arbitrary location is studied. The method of analysis is based upon the application of the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to the aperture fields obtained using geometrical optics (GO) and geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD). Key features of the present work are (1) the reflector surface is completely arbitrary, (2) the incident field from the feed is most general with arbitrary polarization and location, and (3) the edge diffraction is calculated by either UAT or by UTD. Comparison of this technique for an offset parabolic reflector with the Jacobi-Bessel and Fourier-Bessel techniques shows good agreement. Near field, far field, and scan data of a large refelctor are presented.

Lee, S. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Secondary pattern computation of an offset reflector antenna

Reflector antennas are widely used in communications satellite systems because they provide high gain at low cost. In analyzing reflector antennas the computation of the secondary pattern is the main concern. A computer program for calculating the secondary pattern of an offset reflector has been developed and implemented at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The theoretical foundation for this program is based on the use of geometrical optics to describe the fields from the feed to the reflector surface and to the aperture plane. The resulting aperture field distribution is then transformed to the far-field zone by the fast Fourier transform algorithm. Comparing this technique with other well-known techniques (the geometrical theory of diffraction, physical optics (Jacobi-Bessel), etc.) shows good agreement for large (diameter of 100 lambda or greater) reflector antennas.

Acosta, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Asymptotic high frequency analysis of the electromagnetic backscattering from an inlet model consisting of piecewise linearly tapered sections

Electromagnetic backscattering from an open ended three dimensional inlet model is analyzed and computed patterns are compared with results of experimental measurements. The model is comprised of two sections. The first section consists of a linearly tapered waveguide with a rectangular opening at one end and the other end is connected to the second section which is a uniform rectangular waveguide with a planar perfectly conducting termination. The model is electrically large so that many propagating modes are excited. The method of analysis contains conventional aperture integration and modal techniques combined with high frequency techniques, which employ concepts such as modal rays, geometrical theory of diffraction and equivalent currents. For the cases considered, it is shown that only a few of the many propagating modes contribute appreciably to the backscattered field. These modes are selected according to their modal ray angle directions.

Altintas, A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A high frequency analysis of electromagnetic plane wave scattering by perfectly-conducting semi-infinite parallel plate and rectangular waveguides with absorber coated inner walls

An approximate but sufficiently accurate high frequency solution which combines the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) and the aperture integration (AI) method is developed for analyzing the problem of electromagnetic (EM) plane wave scattering by an open-ended, perfectly-conducting, semi-infinite hollow rectangular waveguide (or duct) with a thin, uniform layer of lossy or absorbing material on its inner wall, and with a planar termination inside. In addition, a high frequency solution for the EM scattering by a two dimensional (2-D), semi-infinite parallel plate waveguide with a absorber coating on the inner walls is also developed as a first step before analyzing the open-ended semi-infinite three dimensional (3-D) rectangular waveguide geometry. The total field scattered by the semi-infinite waveguide consists firstly of the fields scattered from the edges of the aperture at the open-end, and secondly of the fields which are coupled into the waveguide from the open-end and then reflected back from the interior termination to radiate out of the open-end. The first contribution to the scattered field can be found directly via the UTD ray method. The second contribution is found via the AI method which employs rays to describe the fields in the aperture that arrive there after reflecting from the interior termination. It is assumed that the direction of the incident plane wave and the direction of observation lie well inside the forward half space tht exists outside the half space containing the semi-infinite waveguide geometry. Also, the medium exterior to the waveguide is assumed to be free space.

Noh, H. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Simulation and analysis of antennas radiating in a complex environment

A numerical procedure for computing the high-frequency radiation patterns of antennas mounted on curved surfaces is described. The procedure utilizes the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction to examine the antenna system's performance, which is dependent on antenna radiation patterns. Composite ellipsoid models of fuselage shapes are developed and the formation of geodesic paths on the models is studied; the shape of the fuselage affects the radiation patterns. The actual field radiated by the source and scattered by the structure is calculated using the ray field technique. The numerical solution is applied to the analysis of the antenna radiation patterns of a military aircraft, private aircraft, and the Space Shuttle orbiter. Good correlation between the calculated and measured radiation patterns is noted verifying the usefulness and accuracy of the numerical procedure.

Kim, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Bistatic scattering from a cone frustum

The bistatic scattering from a perfectly conducting cone frustum is investigated using the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (GTD). The first-order GTD edge-diffraction solution has been extended by correcting for its failure in the specular region off the curved surface and in the rim-caustic regions of the endcaps. The corrections are accomplished by the use of transition functions which are developed and introduced into the diffraction coefficients. Theoretical results are verified in the principal plane by comparison with the moment method solution and experimental measurements. The resulting solution for the scattered fields is accurate, easy to apply, and fast to compute.

Ebihara, W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Airborne antenna radiation pattern code user's manual

The use of a newly developed computer code to analyze the radiation patterns of antennas mounted on a ellipsoid and in the presence of a set of finite flat plates is described. It is shown how the code allows the user to simulate a wide variety of complex electromagnetic radiation problems using the ellipsoid/plates model. The code has the capacity of calculating radiation patterns around an arbitrary conical cut specified by the user. The organization of the code, definition of input and output data, and numerous practical examples are also presented. The analysis is based on the Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (UTD), and most of the computed patterns are compared with experimental results to show the accuracy of this solution.

Burnside, Walter D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A GTD analysis of ogive pedestal

The metal ogive pedestal is claimed to have low radar cross section and low observability features. This study uses the Geometric Theory of Diffraction (GTD) to analyze the pedestal scattering for three cases: direct backscattered field, backscattered field structure, and target/pedestal multiple scattering. This study can be used to evaluate the various ways that the metal conical ogive pedestal can effect the performance of a high quality radar cross section measurement system.

Lai, Kin-Yue Albert↗
NASA NTRS1984

Simulation and analysis of airborne antenna radiation patterns

The objective is to develop an accurate and efficient analytic solution for predicting high frequency radiation patterns of fuselage-mounted airborne antennas. This is an analytic study of airborne antenna patterns using the Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction (UTD). The aircraft is modeled in its most basic form so that the solution is applicable to general-type aircraft. The fuselage is modeled as a perfectly conducting composite ellipsoid; whereas, the wings, stabilizers, nose, fuel tanks, and engines, are simulated as perfectly conducting flat plates that can be attached to the fuselage and/or to each other. The composite-ellipsoid fuselage model is necessary to successfully simulate the wide variety of real world fuselage shapes. Since the antenna is mounted on the fuselage, it has a dominant effect on the resulting radiation pattern so it must be simulated accurately, especially near the antenna. Various radiation patterns are calculated for commercial, private, and military aircraft, and the Space Shuttle Orbiter. The application of this solution to numerous practical airborne antenna problems illustrates its versatility and design capability. In most cases, the solution accuracy is verified by the comparisons between the calculated and measured data.

Kim, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Analysis and measurement of electromagnetic scattering by pyramidal and wedge absorbers

By modifying the reflection coefficients in the Uniform Geometrical Theory of Diffraction a solution that approximates the scattering from a dielectric wedge is found. This solution agrees closely with the exact solution of Rawlins which is only valid for a few minor cases. This modification is then applied to the corner diffraction coefficient and combined with an equivalent current and geometrical optics solutions to model scattering from pyramid and wedge absorbers. Measured results from 12 inch pyramid absorbers from 2 to 18 GHz are compared to calculations assuming the returns add incoherently and assuming the returns add coherently. The measured results tend to be between the two curves. Measured results from the 8 inch wedge absorber are also compared to calculations with the return being dominated by the wedge diffraction. The procedures for measuring and specifying absorber performance are discussed and calibration equations are derived to calculate a reflection coefficient or a reflectivity using a reference sphere. Shaping changes to the present absorber designs are introduced to improve performance based on both high and low frequency analysis. Some prototypes were built and tested.

Dewitt, B. T.↗