Performance of Planar Slotted Waveguide Arrays With Surface Distortion

This paper deals with the prediction of the effects of surface distortion on the radiation characteristics of arrays of slot antennas. The deformation of an object caused by exterior loads is calculated by a finite element method. The coupled structural electromagnetic (CSE) model of slotted waveguide arrays (SWA) is developed by the analysis of the positional difference of radiating slots in the aperture field caused by structural displacement. The slot voltages in this model are either obtained from finite-element simulations or by near-field measurements. Then the far fields can be calculated according to the coupled model. Two prototype antennas were manufactured and measured, and their deformation accomplished by a specific device with some fixed points and forcing points. Finally, measurements and simulation results are presented for the two prototypes.