A Light Weight Graphite Fiber Epoxy Composite (GFEC) Waveguide Multiplexer for Satellite Application

This paper describes the synthesis, optimization and realization of a non-contiguous six-channel multiplexer composed of filters fabricated using GFEC as the basic waveguide material. This material is much lighter than Invar but possesses a similar coefficient of thermal expansion. The multiplexer is realized without any decoupling resonators to minimize weight and loss. Measured results on the complete multiplexer including the effect of temperature are presented. This design, presently being incorporated in the payload of a 24-channel domestic communications satellite, has resulted in a weight saving of nearly 50% over that of the light-weighted Invar multiplexers used in the present generation of satellites.