Performance of structurally integrated antennas subjected to dynamical loads

Abstract

This paper proposes a coupling approach to investigate the effects of dynamic loads on the performance of structurally integrated antenna. In this method, the deformed displacement of radiating elements is determined by using the modal superposition principle of dynamic mechanic equation. Subsequently, the deformed displacement is coupled to the radiated field equation of the antenna array considering the effect of mutual coupling. Finally, an electromechanical coupling model is built by combining the equations from two different disciplines. An iterative solution method is presented to solve the coupling model. Some experimental devices are designed by utilizing a 2.5 GHz structurally integrated antenna, and the results confirm the effectiveness of the coupling model. The validated model is applied to investigate the influences of dynamic loads on the mechanical and electrical performance. The results show that the deformed displacement of radiating elements depends on the structural constraint forms and dynamic load values. Moreover, the greater the deformed displacement of the antenna array surface, the more serious the degradation of the electrical performance. The coupling model is particularly suited to the multidisciplinary analysis and design of structurally integrated antenna.