Optimal design and loss mechanism analysis of microwave absorbing unidirectional SiC fiber composites with broad absorption band and good polarization stability

Abstract

A microwave-absorbing unidirectional SiC fiber composite with wide absorption and good polarization stability was designed by genetic algorithm. The anisotropic nature of unidirectional fiber composites was considered in the design by characterizing tensor permittivity. This special composite is composed of two kinds of SiC fibers that separately exhibit relatively high conductivity and low conductivity. The electromagnetic loss mechanism of this composite was examined for polarizations that differ in the electric field of the incident wave, applied either in the direction of the fiber or in the transverse direction, perpendicular to the fibers. For both polarizations, the absorption band of our composite can reach 6 GHz and the lowest microwave reflectivity was about −20 dB over a range of 8–18 GHz. When the electric field is polarized parallel to fibers, strong coupling among the high-conductivity fibers can induce a strong current and thus efficiently dissipate the electromagnetic energy. When the electric field is polarized perpendicular to fibers, the electromagnetic loss mechanism in the composite resembles the electric energy loss in capacitors and currents in the transverse direction are obstructed by the fibers resulting in attenuation of the electromagnetic energy in the matrix.