Electromagnetic performance of generalized deployable log periodic dipole antenna with mechanical errors

Abstract

The primary contribution of this paper is to investigate the effect of mechanical errors on the electromagnetic (EM) performance of the generalized deployable log-period dipole (GDLPDA) antenna. The concept of the “GDLPDA” is introduced first. Additionally, an electromechanical error analysis model is developed to assess the effects of dipole machining errors and deformations on the EM performance of GDLPDA. Based on this model, positional errors in two directions along the feedline are considered. Furthermore, an electromechanical error analysis model considering dipole rotational errors on cross-polarized electric fields is established. The actual positional and rotational errors are simulated to analyze the EM performance of GDLPDA. The simulation results show that the dipole positional and rotational errors can degrade the EM performance. Specifically, positional errors reduce gain and pointing accuracy, along with an increase in the 3 dB beamwidth. Rotational errors generate cross-polarization fields, decreasing the level of the co-polarization amplitude. This insight can help antenna design engineers to optimize GDLPDA to minimize the adverse effects of error on performance.