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A Two-Phase Airframe Shielding Performance Study Using Ultra-wideband Measurement Systems

Published

Author(s)

Chriss A. Grosvenor, Robert T. Johnk, David R. Novotny, Seturnino Canales, Claude Weil, Jason Veneman

Abstract

The National Institute of Standards and Technology participated in a comprehensive study of electromagnetic aircraft shielding. The effort consisted of two parts: (1) shielding measurements on a box model with a simple and precisely controlled geometry, and (2) a shielding evaluation of a Boeing 737-800 commercial airliner. The box measurements provided a baseline with which to study and to compare different shielding measurement techniques. A stepped-CW measurement system based on a vector network analyzer was used to perform direct-illumination measurements on the box, and to acquire a direct antenna-to-antenna coupling reference. The box measurements demonstrate that our measurement methods work well in cluttered environments, and with suitable correction factors, correlate well with reverberation chamber and anechoic chamber techniques. A direct-pulse time-domain system, based on a high-speed pulse generation ultra-wideband sampling oscilloscope, and NIST-developed, linear-phase TEM horns were used to perform aircraft measurements. Two measurement procedures were invoked: (1) A direct-illumination method with the transmitter placed in various compartments, combined with a direct antenna-to-antenna reference measurement, and (2) a new reference measurement that exploits the reverberation characteristics of the hanger in which the aircraft is placed. The latter we refer to as the
Citation
NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 6622
Report Number
6622

Keywords

aircraft, EMC, shielding effectiveness, time-domain measurements, ultra-wideband

Citation

Grosvenor, C. , Johnk, R. , Novotny, D. , Canales, S. , Weil, C. and Veneman, J. (2003), A Two-Phase Airframe Shielding Performance Study Using Ultra-wideband Measurement Systems, NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (Accessed December 9, 2023)
Created January 1, 2003, Updated February 19, 2017