GB2458663A - Radome for a radar pressurised horn antenna - Google Patents
Radome for a radar pressurised horn antenna Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2458663A GB2458663A GB0805484A GB0805484A GB2458663A GB 2458663 A GB2458663 A GB 2458663A GB 0805484 A GB0805484 A GB 0805484A GB 0805484 A GB0805484 A GB 0805484A GB 2458663 A GB2458663 A GB 2458663A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- radome
- horn
- frame
- film
- radome according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 229920002313 fluoropolymer Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 239000004811 fluoropolymer Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 239000003822 epoxy resin Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 229920000647 polyepoxide Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- HQQADJVZYDDRJT-UHFFFAOYSA-N ethene;prop-1-ene Chemical group C=C.CC=C HQQADJVZYDDRJT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000004812 Fluorinated ethylene propylene Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 229920009441 perflouroethylene propylene Polymers 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000004026 adhesive bonding Methods 0.000 claims 3
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 230000002401 inhibitory effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 description 8
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 239000011261 inert gas Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000010521 absorption reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 208000028659 discharge Diseases 0.000 description 2
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920003319 Araldite® Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000001133 acceleration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000593 degrading effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000003298 dental enamel Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 229920006332 epoxy adhesive Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003973 paint Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000035939 shock Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
- H01Q1/42—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
- H01Q1/42—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
- H01Q1/422—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome comprising two or more layers of dielectric material
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
- H01Q13/00—Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
- H01Q13/02—Waveguide horns
Landscapes
- Details Of Aerials (AREA)
Abstract
A radome for a pressurised horn 4 of a radar antenna comprises a fluoropolymer film 6 whose periphery is supported by a closed cell rigid foam plastics frame 7, 8. The said film 6 may be made of fluronated ethylene propylene FEP and may have a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. The frame 7, 8 may be formed with two flat surfaces between which the periphery of the film 6 may be sandwiched and secured into place by an epoxy resin adhesive. The frame 7, 8 may be made of a closed cell foam plastic material such as polymethacrylimide PMI with good flame-inhibiting properties. The frame 7, 8 may have a polygonal opening which conforms to that of a polyhedral horn. The radome may hermetically seal the mouth of the horn of a radar pressurized horn antenna, typically operating with a transmission power level of 1.5 to 2 kW, which is suitable for aircraft applications.
Description
RADOME
This invention relates to a radome suitable for a pressurised horn of a radar antenna.
High power radar antennae for aircraft typically comprise a polyhedral, e.g. octagonal section, horn sealed hermetically at its mouth by a radome, the horn being pressurised and filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen. The radome necessarily absorbs some of [lie fflicrowave radiation transmittcd by the antenna, and its materia! has to withstand high temperatures as a result of the microwave absorption. It has been difficult to find a suitable radome which can withstand typical fluid pressures of a pressurised horn whilst resisting burning from the microwave absorption.
The invention provides a radome for a pressurised horn of a radar antenna, comprising a fluoropolymer film whose periphery is supported by a closed cell rigid foam plastics frame.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view, including a separate and enlarged view of a portion, of a high power, high-pressure horn radome installed in an airborne radar antenna, embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is an axial longitudinal cross-section through the dome of the radar antenna of Figure I, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 3; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the dome of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the dome of Figures 2 and 3.
A radar antenna suitable for airborne use and capable of high power transmission is shown in Figure 1. The radar antenna I comprises a dish 2 and a transmitting and receiving portion 3, which is also shown to an enlarged scale in Figure I. The transmitting arid receiving portion 3 comprises a metal wave-guide of rectangular section for microwave communication with a dome 4, which is shown in greater detail in Figures 2 to 4.
The dome 4 is hermetically sealed to the external atmosphere and, in use, is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen which must be dry. The differential pressure can be of the order of one atmosphere, although we have discovered in tests that a horn embodying the invention can withstand over two atmospheres.
The mean transmission power of the radar is typically in the range of 1.5-2 kW.
The horn 4 comprises a wafl 5 which, as shown more clearly in Figure 4, is polyhedral, and octagonal in cross-section. This shape sets up desirable vertical and horizontal polarisations to give a well-defined power distribution across the horn, but it will be appreciated that this particular shape is not essential to the present invention.
The mouth of the horn 4 is planar, as shown in Figure 2, and its generally polyhedral outer surface is enlarged near its mouth so as to provide flat surfaces 9 parallel to the horn axis, for supporting a radome 12 as shown in Figure 2.
The radonie 12 comprises a membrane or film 6 of fluorinated ethylene propylene, FEP, which in this example is 0.254 mm thick but which could be in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.2 to 0.3 mm. The membrane 6 has a peripheral shape, in this example octagonal, to conform to the mouth of the horn 4. FEP has been found to have satisfactory mechanical properties as well as the ability to bond well to a support frame 7, 8. It can be made stronger and thinner than the radome materials of existing structures, and as a result it can withstand high power microwave radiation without degrading or burning. This was surprising in view of its reputation as being rather brittle.
The membrane is gripped between flat opposed surfaces of two components 7, 8 of a frame. The axially inward component 7 of the frame has an internal surface 9 which fits closely over, and is bonded by adhesive to the external surface of the mouth of the horn 4 as shown in Figure 2. The axially outward component 8 of the frame has a frusto-conical surface 10 with the same half angle as the conical horn wall 5. The flat surfaces of the frame components 7, 8 which face each other cover the same area of the periphery of the membrane 6, but on opposite sides of the membrane, as shown in Figure 2. A groove 11 is cut into the exterior of the opposed surfaces of the frame components 7, 8, so that the groove follows the peripheral edge of the membrane 6.
An epoxy resin adhesive, preferably Araldite (registered trade mark) bonds the surfaces of the periphery of the membrane 6 to the opposed flat surfaces of the frame components 7, 8, and the adhesive also fills the groove 11 and is flush with the external flat surface othe frame 7, 8 as shown in Figure 2.
To minimise the risk of electric discharge within the horn, the internal surfaces are smooth, and the surface is uninterrupted as it tapers outwardly from the wall 5 of the horn to the wall 10 of the radome. The risk of discharge is also minimised by the presence of the inert gas.
The frame 7,8 is of a closed cell rigid foam plastics material, which in this case is based on polymethacrylirnide, PM1. PMI is described for example in US Patent 5698605 and in WO/2003/078514, and it is known to have the ability to bond to epoxy adhesives, as well as to have good flame-inhibiting properties. By sandwiching the membrane 6 between the two frame components 7, 8, the arrangement has good mechanical strength and the ability to withstand changes in pressure and also shock from acceleration, without tearing and without breaking the adhesive bond.
It will be appreciated that all internal faces of the horn and the radome are to be free from adhesive.
The external surfaces of the radome are free from paint, but the horn is painted with an epoxy resin enamel.
Claims (15)
- CLAIMS: I. A radome for a pressurised horn of a radar antenna, comprising a fluoropolymer film whose periphery is supported by a closed cell rigid foam plastics frame.
- 2. A radome according to Claim 1, in which the film has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm.
- 3. A radome according to Claim 3, in which the film has a thickness of 0.2 to 0.3 ni m.
- 4. A radome according to any preceding claim, in which the frame comprises two components with flat surfaces facing each other and gripping therebetween the periphery of the film.
- 5. A radorne according to any preceding claim, in which the fluoropolymer comprises fluorinated ethylene propylene.
- 6. A radome according to any preceding claim, in which the frame has a polygonal opening to conform to a polyhedral horn.
- 7. A radome according to any preceding claim, comprising a layer of adhesive bonding the periphery of the film to the frame.
- 8. A radome according to Claim 4, comprising a layer of adhesive bonding each surface of the periphery of the film to the flat surface of the respective frame component.
- 9. A radon-ic according to Claim 7 or 8, in which the adhesive is an epoxy resin.
- 10. A radome according to any preceding claim, in which the plastics frame is of a closed cell foam.
- 11. A radome according to Claim 10, in which the closed cell foam comprises polym ethacryli m ide.
- 12. A pressurisable horn for a radar antenna, comprising a radome according to any preceding claim hermetically sealing its mouth.
- 13. A radar comprising a pressurisable horn according to Claim 12.
- 14. An hermetically sealed, pressurised radar horn having a radome according to any ofClaims Ito II.
- 15. A radome substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED AS FOLLOWS: 1. A radome for a pressurised horn of a radar antenna, comprising a fluoropolymer film whose periphery is supported by a closed cell rigid foam plastics frame.2. A radome according to Claim 1, in which the film has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm.3. A radome according to Claim 2, in which the film has a thickness of 0.2 to 0.3 mm.4. A radome according to any preceding claim, in which the frame comprises two components with flat surfaces facing each other and gripping therebetween the periphery of the film.5. A radome according to any preceding claim, in which the fluoropolymer comprises fluorinated ethylene propylene.6. A radome according to any preceding claim, in which the frame has a polygonal ::::. opening to conform to a polyhedral horn.7. A radome according to any preceding claim, comprising a layer of adhesive * S., bonding the periphery of the film to the frame. *.SS::*. 8. A radome according to Claim 4, comprising a layer of adhesive bonding each I...surface of the periphery of the film to the flat surface of the respective frame component.9. A radome according to Claim 7 or 8, in which the adhesive is an epoxy resin.10. A radome according to any preceding claim, in which the plastics frame is of a closed cell foam.11. A radome according to Claim 10, in which the closed cell foam comprises polymethacrylimide.12 A pressurisable horn for a radar antenna, comprising a radome according to any preceding claim hermetically sealing its mouth.13. A radar comprising a pressurisable horn according to Claim 12.14. An hermetically sealed, pressurised radar horn having a radome according to any of Claims Ito ii.15. A radome substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 2 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0805484.3A GB2458663B (en) | 2008-03-26 | 2008-03-26 | Radome |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0805484.3A GB2458663B (en) | 2008-03-26 | 2008-03-26 | Radome |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB0805484D0 GB0805484D0 (en) | 2008-04-30 |
GB2458663A true GB2458663A (en) | 2009-09-30 |
GB2458663B GB2458663B (en) | 2012-11-21 |
Family
ID=39386773
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB0805484.3A Active GB2458663B (en) | 2008-03-26 | 2008-03-26 | Radome |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2458663B (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN107046173A (en) * | 2017-04-20 | 2017-08-15 | 哈尔滨哈玻拓普复合材料有限公司 | A kind of composite pressure-resistance structure RECTIFYING ANTENNA cover and its manufacture method |
CN110698715A (en) * | 2019-10-16 | 2020-01-17 | 浙江中科恒泰新材料科技有限公司 | Radiation crosslinking polymethacrylimide foam and preparation method thereof |
US20200381814A1 (en) * | 2019-06-03 | 2020-12-03 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Antenna apparatus having radome spacing |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3201296A (en) * | 1959-04-09 | 1965-08-17 | Timothy J Kilduff | Method of making a waveguide window |
GB1296298A (en) * | 1970-07-02 | 1972-11-15 | ||
GB1600668A (en) * | 1977-10-05 | 1981-10-21 | Endress Hauser Gmbh Co | Microwave antennas |
EP0303001A2 (en) * | 1987-06-11 | 1989-02-15 | IRTE S.p.A. | Horn antenna |
US5698605A (en) * | 1996-02-22 | 1997-12-16 | Roehm Gmbh Chemische Fabrik | Flame-resistant polymethacrylimide foams |
EP0814534A2 (en) * | 1996-06-20 | 1997-12-29 | Andrew A.G. | Feed structure for antennas |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2989748A (en) * | 1956-10-22 | 1961-06-20 | Gen Bronze Corp | Feed system for broad band antenna |
JPS5341156A (en) * | 1976-09-27 | 1978-04-14 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | Horn antenna |
DE4124011C1 (en) * | 1991-07-19 | 1992-10-01 | Philips Patentverwaltung Gmbh, 2000 Hamburg, De | |
JP2005026954A (en) * | 2003-07-01 | 2005-01-27 | Sharp Corp | Converter for receiving radio waves and antenna assembly |
-
2008
- 2008-03-26 GB GB0805484.3A patent/GB2458663B/en active Active
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3201296A (en) * | 1959-04-09 | 1965-08-17 | Timothy J Kilduff | Method of making a waveguide window |
GB1296298A (en) * | 1970-07-02 | 1972-11-15 | ||
GB1600668A (en) * | 1977-10-05 | 1981-10-21 | Endress Hauser Gmbh Co | Microwave antennas |
EP0303001A2 (en) * | 1987-06-11 | 1989-02-15 | IRTE S.p.A. | Horn antenna |
US5698605A (en) * | 1996-02-22 | 1997-12-16 | Roehm Gmbh Chemische Fabrik | Flame-resistant polymethacrylimide foams |
EP0814534A2 (en) * | 1996-06-20 | 1997-12-29 | Andrew A.G. | Feed structure for antennas |
Cited By (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN107046173A (en) * | 2017-04-20 | 2017-08-15 | 哈尔滨哈玻拓普复合材料有限公司 | A kind of composite pressure-resistance structure RECTIFYING ANTENNA cover and its manufacture method |
CN107046173B (en) * | 2017-04-20 | 2020-04-24 | 哈尔滨哈玻拓普复合材料有限公司 | Composite material voltage-resistant structure radome and manufacturing method thereof |
US20200381814A1 (en) * | 2019-06-03 | 2020-12-03 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Antenna apparatus having radome spacing |
US20200381815A1 (en) * | 2019-06-03 | 2020-12-03 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Antenna apparatus housing and components for same |
US11322833B2 (en) | 2019-06-03 | 2022-05-03 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Antenna apparatus having fastener system |
US11509048B2 (en) | 2019-06-03 | 2022-11-22 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Antenna apparatus having antenna spacer |
US11600915B2 (en) | 2019-06-03 | 2023-03-07 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Antenna apparatus having heat dissipation features |
US11652286B2 (en) | 2019-06-03 | 2023-05-16 | Space Exploration Technology Corp. | Antenna apparatus having adhesive coupling |
US11843168B2 (en) | 2019-06-03 | 2023-12-12 | Space Exploration Technologies Corp. | Antenna apparatus having antenna spacer |
CN110698715A (en) * | 2019-10-16 | 2020-01-17 | 浙江中科恒泰新材料科技有限公司 | Radiation crosslinking polymethacrylimide foam and preparation method thereof |
CN110698715B (en) * | 2019-10-16 | 2022-03-18 | 浙江中科恒泰新材料科技有限公司 | Radiation crosslinking polymethacrylimide foam and preparation method thereof |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB2458663B (en) | 2012-11-21 |
GB0805484D0 (en) | 2008-04-30 |
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