THEORETICAL ESTABLISHMENT AND EVALUATION OF A NOVEL OPTIMAL PYRAMIDAL HORN DESIGN CRITERION

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel design criterion for optimal pyramidal horns. According to the criterion, the optimal aperture phase error parameters of a pyramidal horn are determined from the minimization of the horn's lateral surface area. We present two families of curves that illustrate the optimal aperture phase error parameters for frequency and directivity values in the area of practical interest. We also discuss two simple approximate design methods for the calculation of the optimal horn parameters. Comparisons with well-known design methods demonstrate the e-cacy of our approach. The designed horns have also smaller aperture area and require less installation space than other optimal proposals in the published literature. Moreover, the proposed criterion produces, under certain conditions, the lightest horn for a given directivity; as a result its fabrication requires less material compared to other structures. The present approach is a useful design tool when the size and weight of a pyramidal horn are of concern.