Effect of carbon-fiber composites as ground plane material on antenna performance

The impact of carbon fiber composites (CFC) as a ground plane material on antenna performance is investigated. CFC are lightweight materials that, due to their high mechanical durability, are increasingly used as chassis material for cars. Their electrical characteristics are anisotropic and dependent on the manufactured structure, which is expected to influence the radiation pattern. Simple monopole antennas for 2.45GHz (ISM) and 5.9GHz (ITS G5) are mounted to circular ground planes made of three different CFC and aluminum sheets. The influence on antenna performance is investigated with calibrated gain, return loss and the radiation pattern measurements.