Study and Analysis of Microwave Radomes

A radome is constructed for protecting the microwave antenna and the electronic systems inside the missile when the missile is flying in air with a high speed. Therefore, the radome must possess both structural robustness and microwave transparency. The planar simulation model was frequently adopted for the preliminary design of a radome, then the electrical property of a radome can be adjusted via measurements during the manufacturing stage. However, this approach always wastes a lot of time, manpower, and resources. Therefore, the major purpose of the project is to establish the capability of three-dimensional electromagnetic simulation (HFSS) for analyzing the far-field radiation pattern of the Ka-band slot array antenna and optimizing the electrical properties of radomes by reducing the transmission loss and boresight error. Therefore, the capability established through this project can be applied on the design of radomes with reducing the development cost, lowering the risk of the manufacturing, and shortening the development time. We have accomplished the simulations including the planar dielectric plate, the commercial Ka-band standard gain horn antenna, the slot array antenna, and the two types of radome in this project. The transmission loss and boresight error of the two optimized radome are both lower than 1.2dB and 1 mrad, respectively. The electrical properties of the optimized radomes can both meet the specification of this project.