Comparison of lossy wedge diffraction coefficients with application to mixed path propagation loss prediction

A heuristic lossy wedge diffraction coefficient is compared to the exact Maliuzhinets diffraction coefficient for a 180° wedge neglecting surface waves. The comparison shows good agreement even for high incidence angles and greatly dissimilar wedge-face materials. This agreement provides justification for using the heuristic coefficient for the calculation of mixed path propagation loss, since wedge angles are typically near 180° for this application. The heuristic coefficient has the advantages of being continuous at the reflection boundary and of being relatively simple to evaluate, especially at angles other than 180°