Easy-to-Design-and-Manufacture Frequency Selective Surfaces for Conformal Applications

A bendable frequency selective surface (FSS) is proposed in this letter; it is based on short carbon fibers embedded into an epoxy resin whose characteristics are set in order to provide the required mechanical flexibility. The frequency response of the FSS is of band-stop type due to the half-wavelength resonance of the used short dipoles. The FSS design and the manufacturing process are clearly highlighted to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed FSS in terms of costs, ease to design and build the FSS, and accuracy of the obtained stopband response. Both aluminum and carbon materials are considered for the fiber as a mean for achieving a mechanically reinforced structure; the effects of both materials from an electromagnetic propagation point of view are discussed. Finally, the proposed FSSs with different fiber materials and bending radii are manufactured and experimentally tested in a free-space setup to verify the design. The proposed FSS is mainly suitable for applications on parabolic reflectors and curved radomes.

Automated summary

This study introduces a bendable frequency selective surface (FSS) based on carbon fibers for mechanical flexibility, with a band-stop frequency response. The design and manufacturing process highlight the advantages of the FSS in terms of costs, ease of design, and suitability for applications on parabolic reflectors and curved radomes.