Modeling the Performance Impact of Cubic Macro Cells Used in Additively Manufactured Luneburg Lenses

Authors

  • Brian F. LaRocca Department of the Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD 21005, USA
  • Mark S. Mirotznik Electrical Engineering Department, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/2022.ACES.J.371008

Keywords:

Finite Element Analysis, Luneburg lens, 3D printing, Unit cells

Abstract

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used to determine the sensitivity of feed placement on a Luneburg lens (LL) having large scale cubic discretization of its permittivity distribution. This is of practical importance for lenses fabricated using additive manufacturing, allowing accurate prediction of performance, and potentially reducing overall print time. It is shown that the far-field relative side lobe level (RSLL) is most sensitive to this form of discretization, and the impact to multi-feed and single-feed applications is considered. It is shown that for single-feed applications, large cubic macro cells are beneficial and provide a RSLL above that achieved with the continuous and non-uniform shelled counterparts.

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Author Biographies

Brian F. LaRocca, Department of the Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD 21005, USA

Brian F. La Rocca received B.S.E.E and M.S.E.E degrees from New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA in 1985 and 2000, respectively. From 1985 to 1996, he worked in industry, from 1996 to 2004 as a government contractor, and from 2004 to present as a civilian engineer with the Dept. of the Army at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, USA and Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA in the summer of 2022.

Mark S. Mirotznik, Electrical Engineering Department, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA

Mark S. Mirotznik (S’87–M’92–SM’11) received his B.S.E.E. degree from Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA, in 1988, and his M.S.E.E. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, in 1991 and 1992, respectively. From 1992 to 2009, he was a Faculty Member with the Department of Electrical Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA. Since 2009, he has been a Professor and an Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA. He holds the position of Senior Research Engineer with the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division. His current research interests include applied electromagnetics and photonics, computational electromagnetics, multifunctional engineered materials, and additive manufacturing.

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Published

2023-03-28

How to Cite

[1]
B. F. . LaRocca and M. S. . Mirotznik, “Modeling the Performance Impact of Cubic Macro Cells Used in Additively Manufactured Luneburg Lenses”, ACES Journal, vol. 37, no. 10, pp. 1077–1088, Mar. 2023.

Issue

2022: Vol 37 Iss 10

Section

Articles

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