Educating electromagnetic effects using printed circuit board demos

Electromagnetic fields are considered by many students as a difficult subject. Unwanted electromagnetic fields are even tougher for students. We have developed many experiments as demonstrations (demos) to show the effect of electromagnetic fields in real life products. This paper gives an overview of these demos

High intensity electromagnetic field gerenation using a transportable reverberation chamber

A reverberation chamber can create very high field strength with moderate input power. Existing chambers are making use of a paddle wheel to change the resonant modes in the chamber. A transportable reverberation chamber with vibrating walls will be presented. Inside this Vibrating Intrinsic Reverberation Chamber (VIRC) a diffuse, statistically uniform electromagnetic field is created, without the use of a mechanical, rotating, mode stirrer. This chamber results in a better homogeneity and increased field strength compared to conventional mode stirred reverberation chambers. This test setup is very suitable for cost effective intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) tests

Maximum and average field strength in enclosed environments

Electromagnetic fields in large enclosed environments are reflected many times and cannot be predicted anymore using conventional models. The common approach is to compare such environments with highly reflecting reverberation chambers. The average field strength can easily be predicted using the central limit theorem. The maximum field strength is, in theory, nearly impossible to predict. Actual environments are however not perfect, and the maximum field strength is bound to a maximum. A ray-tracing model has been developed to predict the maximum field for actual (lossy) environments and measurements in a reverberation chamber has been carried out

The strategic research agenda on EMC in the next (7th) European research framework program 2007-2013

The European Commission has published the research policy and the proposal for the next (7th) Framework Programme [1]. It is stated that, to be a genuinely competitive, knowledge-based economy, Europe must become better at producing knowledge through research, at diffusing it through education and at applying it through innovation, i.e. the “knowledge triangle��?. Today the European Union (EU) devotes only 1.96 % of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to research and development, compared to 2.59% for United States, 3.12 % for Japan and 2.9% for Korea. In March 2002 the Barcelona European Council set the target of raising the European research effort to 3 % of EU GDP, two thirds of which should come from private investment. European Technology Platforms (ETP) play an important role in the 7th Research Framework Programme (FP7) [2]. ETPs focus on strategic issues, bring together stakeholders, led by industry, to define medium to long-term research and technological development objectives and lay down markers for achieving them. ETPs thus play a key role in better aligning EU research priorities to industry’s needs. A key objective of ETPs is the establishment of a strategic research agenda (SRA). Through the definition of a SRA technology platforms can influence policy in the FP7 programme and hence, in due course, lead to the development of specific projects which will be submitted through normal channels for EU funding. The SRA reflects the needs as seen by industry, taking (emerging) social, economical and technological trends into account. A yearly workplan is generated from the SRA and submitted to the European Commission. The European Commission decides which part of the Work Plan will be converted into open Calls. Any (European) entity, including industry, universities or institutes, can then submit a research proposal which will be evaluated in an independent commission, before the research project is awarded (or not)

Lightning protection of ships in maritime and costal environment

An electromagnetic pulse due to a nearby lightning stroke generates a high intensity magnetic field. Thin metal layers as applied in composite structures cannot shield such a magnetic field. Electronic equipment inside such structures will suffer from high-induced voltages and damage and interference will occur. If a lightning stroke hits the composite structure directly the material will be damaged due to the heat generated in the composite material. A direct lightning stroke is even more complex. The current path for the fast transient and the long tail, with the largest portion of the energy, is different, and different protection measures have to be developed

Les essais CEM de grands systèmes vont sur le terrain

Conçue en tissu métallisé souple, la chambre réverbérante Virc s'adapte in situ aux systèmes de grandes dimensions difficilement déplaçables