The objective in this exploratory development is to identify materials and designs for a radome which will withstand the environment of high speed missiles and provide rf transparency for a low band side mounted conformal antenna as well as a W-band forward looking radar sensor. Materials, manufacturing processes, designs, cost and reproducibility will be emphasized in the study. A new ceramic material will be ocnsidered which has a lower dielectric constant than other ceramics and which is moisture impermeable. Two material systems using quartz fibers will be considered. The first uses woven socks with a high temperature inorganic polymer binder. The second uses a winding process with quartz fiber with a high temperature binder. The use of inductive grid technology and quarter wave matching layers will be considered in the designs. Upon completion of the Phase I research, one design will be selected for the Phase II development. The final design selected for further development will be based on preformance, cost and manufacturablitiy.
Benefit: The proposed radome technology will have potential use on high-speed missiles as a low cost replacement for present radomes and for future applications. A wide range of high temperature applications is anticipated including high temperature circuit boards, commercial cookwave, etc.
Keywords: frequency selective surface, frequency selective surface, C-J band, dual-mode sensor, high speed missile, Radome, W-Band, Dual Mode, Conformal Antenna, high temperature material, Strength
