Validation procedure of low level coupling tests on real aircraft structure

This paper describes the analysis of the experimental test results obtained during the low level swept coupling (LLSC) and low level direct drive (LLDD) tests on FALCON 7X horizontal tail plane provided by EADS-CASA. These techniques are evaluated during the aircraft high intensity radiated field (HIRF) certification process and in the scope of European Community´s FP7 HIRF SE project. The analysis of low level test results shall be performed to estimate the influence of the test setup with particular regard to the in-flight coupling configuration. For this reason, finite difference time domain (FDTD) 3D computations have been used to determine the relationship between free field external radiation and skin current in different illumination angles and polarizations. Finally, after validation by comparison of the measured and computed skin current, measured bundle current are related to measured skin currents, to provide the transfer function link to the external field.