Conformal Load-Bearing Antenna Structure for MIMO Applications
Keywords:
CLAS, multifunctional structure, structural antennaAbstract
A broadband, airfoil-integrated, VHF antenna is introduced for conformal load-bearing structures (CLAS) applications. A two-layer antenna is developed and the effects of integration with a composite sandwich structure are investigated. A prototype structure is fabricated that exceeds an octave of measured impedance bandwidth and simulated gain and pattern bandwidth. Envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) and simulated radiation patterns are used to gauge feasibility of the structure for use in a MIMO application on a twin-tail drone.
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