Finite-difference time-domain analysis of HF antennas on helicopter airframes

Author

Andrew, William V. ; Balanis, Constantine A. ; Tirkas, Panayiotis A. ; Peng, Jian ; Birtcher, Craig R.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng., Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ, USA

Volume

39

Issue

2

fYear

1997

fDate

5/1/1997 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

100

Lastpage

113

Abstract

In this paper, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method with the Berenger perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary condition (ABC) is used to model the radiation characteristics of high frequency (HF) antennas operating in the 2-30 MHz range on a full-scale helicopter. The computed input impedance of both antennas is compared with actual measurements from an operational full-scale helicopter and also with measurements on a scale model NASA generic advanced attack helicopter (GAAH). To study the coupling effects of the helicopter fuselage on the antenna systems, the S-parameters are computed and compared with measurements on the NASA GAAH scale model. Finally, computed gain patterns are compared with actual in-flight measurements of the antenna systems on an operational full-scale helicopter

Keywords

S-parameters; aircraft communication; antenna radiation patterns; electric impedance; electromagnetic wave absorption; finite difference time-domain analysis; helicopters; military aircraft; mobile antennas; 2 to 30 MHz; Berenger perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary condition; FDTD; GAAH; HF antennas; NASA generic advanced attack helicopter; S-parameters; coupling effects; finite-difference time-domain analysis; full-scale helicopter; gain patterns; helicopter airframes; helicopter fuselage; in-flight measurements; input impedance; radiation characteristics; Antenna measurements; Boundary conditions; Finite difference methods; Frequency; Hafnium; Helicopters; Impedance measurement; NASA; Perfectly matched layers; Time domain analysis;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electromagnetic Compatibility, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9375

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/15.584932

Filename

584932