Lightning current tests on radars and similar structures

A lightning stroke presents a real challenge due to its potential to cause irreversible damage on electronics. Future systems are packaged in composite shielding materials, which give little or no protection with respect to the electromagnetic fields caused by a nearby strike. A direct lightning stroke is even a higher threat for densely packed electronics in composite housings. Our objective is to determine an appropriate level of protection for a direct stroke. From the military standard MIL-STD-464A - Severe Strike, peak currents of the discharge between 50 and 200 kA, for the A pulse, 2 kA for the B pulse and 200 to 800 Amps for the C pulse are re-created in a closed environment. Experiments have been carried out using a test setup that could duplicate these three discharge components on structures representative for radar housing

Lightning current test on radar system

With the extended use of very sensitive electronic components, in modern systems, the danger represented by a lightning stroke becomes something not to be neglected. The Long Range Radar requires protection not only against direct strike, but also against the indirect effects. The formulation of the military standard MIL-STD-464A Severe Strike confirms this need. The peak currents of the discharges are between 50 and 200 kA, for the A pulse, 2 kA for the B pulse and 200 to 800 Amps for the C pulse. For a radar system placed high on a ship, the chosen approach is the fictitious Rolling Sphere Technique in order to confirm the protection offered by the design. Experiments have been carried out using a test setup that could duplicate the three discharge components

Miniaturization of EBG structures using embedded capacitance material

The effect of embedded capacitance material on the size reduction and filtering performance of electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structures etched on a power plane has been investigated. Due to the high permittivity of the embedded material the effective band shifts to much lower frequencies. The impact of these EBG structures on resonances in power distribution network has been modeled using an equivalent circuit model, and simulated using a SPICE circuit simulator. The model and simulation results has been compared with measurement results. The effect of EBG on common mode radiation was evaluated