Dielectric Spaceframe Radomes

Abstract

How the sometimes conflicting functional, economic and structural considerations have combined to determine the material, fabrication and geometric form for spaceframe domes used to provide environmental protection for electromagnetic transmitting and receiving equipment is described. It is shown how electromagnetic requirements mean that the constructionally most economic regular subdivisions of the ‘Platonic Solids’, which so often form the basis for subdividing truncated spherical domes, do not represent the optimal solution for dielectric space radomes. A brief description is provided of the form of stress analysis adopted, and of the variety in forms of collapse mode against which panel geometries are designed. Illustrative structures are used to show the diversity of space domes possible through this fabrication process.