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The aperture opening design of the subreflector chamber for a dual-chamber Gregorian compact range system is presented in this paper. The subreflector is a serrated edge ellipsoidal reflector. The performance of the subreflector chamber and absorber aperture opening has been evaluated in terms of pattern measurements and by cross-range diagnostic techniques. The results of this evaluation have been used to further improve the design of the aperture opening of the subreflector chamber.
The Hughes Aircraft Company conducted a study to characterize the backscattering performance of wedge shaped anechoic absorbers for use in treating the sidewall regions of RCS chambers. ISAR imaging techniques were utilized to obtain a diagnostic results at near-grazing incidence angles which were not possible with conventional testing methods. These techniques allowed for separation and identification of individual scattering sources from each of the evaluated samples. As a result, the backscattering from an entire wall of absorber can be simulated by evaluating only a few samples. Absorber performance data was collected over frequencies from 2 to 40 GHz. Results from this study clearly show that differences in absorber fabrication methods have a significant impact on the performance of the materials. Various approaches for impregnating, loading, and cutting the absorber have also been evaluated. Gaps, formed during installation, at the joint between two pieces of material are shown to significantly degrade performance, whereas, offsets and glue lines are shown to have less of an effect, provided the absorbers are uniformly loaded.
To improve measurements at lower signal levels and/or reduce the size of the compact range chamber, absorber with much better scattering performance is required. This high performance absorber can be realized by introducing multiple layers to obtain a better impedance transition from air to the absorber. The inhomogeneity leads to the use of the Moment Method. However, the truncated ends of a finite absorber panel produce a scattering so strong that the edge and valley diffractions from a typical wall of absorber cannot be recovered. Thus, an approach to solve and infinite wall of identical wedges has been developed for the TM case using the Periodic Moment Method (PMM). In this paper, PMM will be briefly discussed. Then, some interesting designs will be presented, including ordinary wedge absorber with different dopings, wedge widths and wedge heights, wedges with curves surfaces, and multi-layer wedge absorber designs.
Events such as the fire loss this year of a large anechoic chamber emphasize the need for consideration of the fire properties of microwave absorber and the toxicity of gases that are emitted during a fire. This report describes a small room-scale fire test, and other associated fire tests, carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology on polyurethane based pyramidal absorber. This work is intended to complement the measurements of microwave properties reported to AMTA in Monterey. The commercially supplied absorber had carbon (for absorption) and fire-retardant salts dispersed throughout the foam and its external surfaces were coated with fire resistant paint.
Texas Instruments Defense Systems and Electronics Group (TI-DSEG) has recently completed the development and documentation of our Flammability Test Procedure for Absorber Foams used in Anechoic Chambers. This Flammability Test is a major element of the TI-DSEG Anechoic Chamber Safety Policy. The Test Procedure was needed to help assure that absorber foam installed in our chambers consistently meets acceptable minimum fire-retardant specifications. Development of the procedure began with out interpretation of research documented in Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Reports 7793 and 8093, which include testing for resistance to electrical stress, ease of ignition and flame propagation, and smoldering. Numerous iterations of the tests were conducted, using variations of the method. After the test was written, consultations with various vendors confirmed the producibility of absorber foam that will pass the Flammability Test and also meet or exceed electrical requirements.
This paper addresses the problem of absorber scattering into the target zone of a compact range. An approximate UTD lossy dielectric corner diffraction coefficient is found, and is used to calculate the bistatic scattering from the tip of an absorber pyramid. Scattering into the target zone of a compact range from the pyramidal absorber lining the room is then investigated, for both rolled edge and serrated edge reflectors, and is compared to the levels of the direct reflector diffractions. To build confidence in these absorber scattering predictions, calculations are compared with measurements of the bistatic absorber scattering in a compact range.
A mini compact range system has been built for NASA, Langley Research Center. The performance of the system was evaluated at the Ohio State University by probing the fields along a vertical cut and a horizontal cut. The probe data showed that the target zone fields contain stray signals, which do not originate from the reflector surface. The probe data was imaged to locate the sources of the stray signal. Both conventional Fourier techniques as well as the MUSIC algorithm were used to image this data. The results of this study are discussed in this paper. It is shown that at the back end of the chamber, the absorber scattering can be quite significant. The aperture blockage due to the feed structure also contributes to stray signals in the target zone.
A new method for producing chamber absorber (patent applied for) is described. The absorber makes use of a resistive gradient through the bulk foam in contrast to standard pyramidal and wedge absorbers that use a geometric shaping of bulk uniform resistive material such as foam loaded with carbon. The absorber is a lightweight open cell reticulated foam, with a metallic material coated onto the fibers of the foam, with varying thickness and varying material properties used to produce the electrical gradient.
Ray Proof has recently completed the construction of a shielded anechoic chamber in the Air Force Anechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Measuring 250 feet by 264 feet x 70 feet high, it is believed to be the largest anechoic chamber in the world. The facility will be used for EW testing of full-scale aircraft such as the B-1 B and B2 and will be operated for the Air Force by Rockwell International, the prime contractor for the project. This paper discusses parameters, statistics, and design features. The shielding was designed and quality controlled during construction in order to meet the NSA 65-6 specification, modified to extend to 18GHz. Layout of pyramidal anechoic material, varying from 12 inches to 24 inches in thickness with 36 inch around lighting fixtures, was designed to meet a return loss specification of 72 dB at 500 MHz, and up to better than 100 dB in the 3-18 GHz region. The chamber features a sliding pocket door 200 feet long and 66 feet high. To meet the stringent NSA 65-6 requirement, a threefold inflatable-bladder/ fingerstock seal was used around the door. The other feature of the chamber is an 80 foot turntable with a separately shielded control room suspended beneath. The table can rotate a 250,000 pound load through plus-or-minus 190 degrees, positioning to an accuracy of plus-or-minus 0.1 degree. A number of innovative procedures such as locating a portable factory to manufacture the absorber near the construction site enabled Ray Proof to complete and test the chamber ahead of schedule.
A stressed-skin inflatable target support provides an improvement over a foam column for radar cross section (RCS) measurements in an anechoic chamber. Theoretical analysis indicates that backscatter from the support is minimized because its mass is reduced below that of a foam column and is distributed to favor incoherent scattering. Compared with a foam column, a pressurized thin shell has superior mechanical stability under both axial and transverse loads. Experimental observations using Mylar -- a low dielectric constant, high tensile strength film -- confirm these results. Spurious reflections from rotational machinery located below an inflatable column are reduced by a layer of absorber within the base of the inflatable support.
There is often a need for a laboratory to make quick, inexpensive, and accurate measurements on individual absorber samples. Different types and sizes of absorber need to be quickly analyzed at several frequencies to determine which type best maintains or improves the facility's RF characteristics. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has devised an improved version of the Doppler shift method to measure the scattering levels of different sizes and types of microwave absorber. This technique is useful as an inexpensive and simple method for measuring individual absorber pieces with good accuracy and sensitivity. The system does not require a large anechoic facility nor a sophisticated measurement system for gating out background scattering. Reflectivity levels on the order of -80 dB can be measured and relative changes of 1 dB can be detected. Sample results for absorber with and without fire retardant salts and different sizes are presented.
The requirement to measure lower radar cross-section (RCS) levels within anechoic chambers has demonstrated the need to further analyze the performance of microwave absorbers. The interactions of the feed system, compact range reflector, target mount, and target/test body with the microwave absorber greatly effect both the measurement accuracy and ambient noise level within the anechoic chamber. Better absorber characterization and understanding leads to improved chamber performance analysis and chamber design modeling. Past absorber studies have evaluated the backscatter performance of most absorber types, however, bistatic performance characterizations have been limited. This paper will discuss a method of obtaining bistatic absorber data which offers the advantages of time gating and synthetic aperture imaging to improve measurement isolation and accuracy. The approach involves illuminating a large absorber test wall about several incidence angles with the plane wave generated by a compact range. A receive antenna is then moved about the test wall and bistatic scattering is observed. The technique provides improved measurement results over methods utilizing NRL arch type systems. Bistatic absorber data has been collected and analyzed over angles from normal to near grazing incidence. Test results will be demonstrated with different absorber shapes, sizes, orientations, and material transitions from wedge to pyramidal. Various bistatic conditions will be analyzed for both polarizations over a number of frequencies.
Currently many new compact range facilities are being constructed for making antenna pattern measurements indoors. Limited suppression of stray signals ~ due to range layout, confined surroundings and residual absorbing material reflectivity ~ represents a limitation on the accuracy of the measurements made in these facilities. Time-gating of the compact range signal appears to be a very attractive technique to reduce unwanted reflections. The authors have carried out an experimental investigation of time gating in a compact range. It is demonstrated that time-gating can improve the uniformity of the aperture field by removing the feed backlobe radiation; and, it is demonstrated that time-gating can remove the effects on a pattern of certain room reflections and of feed backlobes. When compared to conventional methods of reducing reflections based on placement of absorber, time gating appears equivalent. It does not appear however that time gating improves the conventional methods, except for measuring wide beamwidth antennas.
Results of an experimental study of the interactions between a scattering target and the absorber-coated walls and ceiling of the OSU Compact Range Anechoic Room are reported. A 6 ft. square flat metal reflector was mounted in the quiet zone and oriented at selected angles non-orthogonal to the range symmetry axis. In theory, this target (when non-orthogonal) has a relatively low backscattering signature, and a strong planar bistatic scattering beam which can be pointed at several regions and absorber types in the room. By processing, the bistatic iteration terms can be separated form the plate backscatter, and frequency domain spectra and/or transient response signatures of the different mechanisms produced. Th paper will present calibration information on the actual performance of the bistatic scattering beam of the plate, and measurements of both backscattering and bistatic scattering of the absorber-coated walls in the ESL chamber. Suggested guidelines for use of this as a standard anechoic room diagnostic test will be discussed.
This paper presents a simple and straightforward technique which significantly improves the performance of some anechoic absorbing materials. The method is easily applied to existing absorbers and chambers and does not change the basic design of the material. The technique involves the proper placement of additional absorbing materials between the shaped structures of the absorber to reduce major scattering contributions. These scattering mechanisms are demonstrated in the paper with measured evaluation data for various absorber types and sizes. The effectiveness of the technique has been best realized for pyramidal shaped absorbers 24 inches and longer and for normal plane-wave incidence. Improvements in the absorber's reflectivity of up to 30 dB have been demonstrated. An example illustrating the method for the reduction of the backwall RCS level of a compact-range chamber is presented.
A free-space RF absorber material (RAM) has been developed and optimized for frequencies above 30 GHz. It is particularly suited for use on equipment and fixtures for RCS, antenna, radiometric, and quasi-optical testing. The material has unique geometry which yields enhanced RF performance when compared with conventional wedge or pyramidal absorbers. Mechanically, the material is elastic, resists damage from flexing or repeated contact and is non-flammable and non-toxic. It offers advantages in size, durability, and mechanical uniformity over previously available products. Data describing RF and mechanical performance are presented.
The utility of absorber-lined tunnels to control the sidelobe levels of horns has previously been demonstrated. The use of such a tunnel gives the designer the option of designing a broadband feed, for example, and later tailoring the sidelobe level to meet a given specification. In this paper, a technique for calculating the radiation characteristics of a horn in an absorber-lined tunnel will be presented. The analysis is based on an absorbing phase screen approximation which has been used by one of the authors in analyzing the diffraction of signals around rocket plumes. Propagation through the tunnel is treated as if the wave travels through a sequence of layers in which the absorption depends on the transverse coordinates. The absorbing phase screen model will be developed, and then applied to the analysis of a Narda standard gain horn in a square tunnel which is lined with wedge absorbing material. For the determination of E and H-plane pattern cuts, a two dimensional model can be utilized. In order to determine the radiation pattern over the full range of theta and phi as is required for illuminating a reflector, a three dimensional model is needed. All calculations were implemented in Fortran on an IBM personal computer.
A method for the calculation of the errors induced through target-wall-target interactions is presented. Both near-field and far-field situations are considered. Far-field calculations are performed both with Fraunhoffer diffraction theory and target antenna analogies. Absorber is considered as both a specular and a diffuse scatterer. The equations developed permit trade studies of chamber size versus performance to be made.
This paper discusses an anechoic chamber absorber evaluation which was conducted for the purpose of improving anechoic chamber and compact range performance through better absorber characterization. This study shows that performance of conventional absorber materials is dependent on selection of the material's shape, size and orientation with respect to the incident energy direction. This, demonstrates the importance of better characterization of the material. Nonhomogeneities in the material composition and physical structure were also found to significantly modify performance; in some cases even improving it. Also shown, is the need for improved evaluation techniques and procedures over conventionally used methods. An evaluation procedure using modern imaging techniques is presented. Several measured results for various absorber types and sizes are presented which show the usefulness of the evaluation technique and demonstrate relative performance characteristics for these materials. Measured reflectivity data on various absorber types, which consistently show better performance than levels specified by the vendors, are also presented.
Motorola's Government Electronics Group (GEG) located in Scottsdale, Arizona has recently completed construction of an indoor Antenna/RCS Test Facility. Motorola achieved quality construction of this new facility by utilizing local building contractors working under Motorola supervision through concept study, design, and construction phases. Motorola achieved quality chambers without turn-key costs. Three anechoic chambers and one shielded computer room were fabricated. The chambers sizes vary from 20'W x 16'H x 41'L to 36'W x 36'H x 72'L. All chambers were evaluated using techniques described by MIL-STD-285 (Attenuation measurements for enclosures, electromagnetic shielding, for electronic test purposes, Method of) and indicated shielding effectiveness, before absorber installation of -60 to -70 db at 400 MHz and -80 db from 1-18 GHz. Shielding effectiveness increased to -80 dB at 400 MHz and to greater than -115 dB from 1-18 GHz after absorber installation. In addition, the building contains eight individual security areas meeting government standards for security as prescribed in the Defense Intelligence Agency Manual (DIAM 50-3).