A slotted waveguide array antenna from carbon fibre reinforced plastics for the European space SAR

The Role of Fibre Orientation on the Electromagnetic Performance of Waveguides Manufactured From Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic

“…Diverse methods have been used previously to reduce the high electrical losses in CFRP waveguides. These have invariably involved applying a highly conductive metallic layer to the inside of the waveguide [4,5] by processes such as electro-deposition [6] or sputtering [7]. These studies have highlighted the need to improve the RF conductivity of CFRP waveguides however, to date, there has been no fundamental study of this reported in the literature.…”

Design considerations for the SAR antenna for RADARSAT

“…Series feeding an 18m array of slots is likely to result in an operating bandwidth of 10 to 20 MHz, which may be inadequate for the RADARSAT application. It may be observed that although the European ERS-1 radar satellite (Wagner and Braun 1981) will incorporate a 15m deployable slotted planar radiator for the SAR, the ERS-1 generates only a single beam.…”

Integration of RF transmission lines in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) structures

“…CFRP has been used in fabrication of parabolic reflector dishes [1], satellite antennas [2] and horn antennas [3] because of its lighter weight and higher strength compared to metallic counterparts. In those applications a metallic coating has been used to reflect the electromagnetic wave or to carry the electrical current.…”

“…Whilst CFRP antennas have received a reasonable attention during the past decades [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9], the integration of transmission lines or feeding networks using CFRP has attracted a very limited attention. Feeding antennas in aircraft can be achieved by either i) mounting commercial transmission lines on the skin of the vehicle, ii) embedding commercial transmission lines in CFRP panels or iii) integrating transmission lines in CFRP panels where carbon fibers are used as conducting elements.…”