Planar array antenna design analysis

Abstract

A computer program is presented that can assess the impact of small. random design perturbations on the performance of a planar array antenna of dipoles. Expressions for the expected or average radiation pattem and the change in directivity for a perturbed planar array are developed and used in the program. Translational errors in the positions of the elements, errors in the element's drive amplitude and phase, nonidentical element pattems. and missing elements are accounted for in the expected radiation pattem. The user specifies the array's design parameters to include the number of elements in each direction of the array, interelement spacing, aperture distribution; i.e., DolphChebyshev, Taylor, binomial, uniform, or user defined, the dipole's orientation and length, and the tolerance data. The program calculates data points to allow plotting the radiation pattem in the two principal planes of the array, half-power beamwidths, and directivities for specified scan angles and frequency bandwidth for the design and expected mays. The radiation pattem data can be plotted allowing side lobe comparison between the expected and design arrays. Program results are validated against trends noted in earlier studies on the effects of random errors in arrays. 7 0 5 PLANAR ARRAY ANTENNA DESIGN ANALYSIS Bradley P. Chrisman AFECO/EN WPAFB, OH 45433