Analysis On The Electrical Performance And The Influencing Factors Of Mesh Reflector Antenna

Currently, large deployable antennas are utilized onboard spacecraft for satellite communications, remote sensing, and VLBI applications. These antennas often use knitted wire mesh as a reflecting surface because it is lightweight and demonstrates an elastic behavior due to its knitted structure, which allows improved packaging surface has high reflectivity with the electric field parallel to its wire-running direction.The analysis models of induced current on a plannar mesh and mesh reflector have been built. Several kinds of equivalent strip models of triangular, rectangular and rhombic weaving structures have been built based on prime focus mesh reflectors. To make a comparison of electric performance among different weaving structures, three kinds of weaving structures in same aperture width and wire diameter have been model built and simulated. The result has been obtained: the triangular weaving structure has the best electric performance because it has the highest level in major lobe and the lowest level of back lobe. To determine the best aperture width and wire diameter for the certain weaving structure, electric performance analysis has been carried out when the aperture width was definitive while the wire diameter was changed, and also the wire diameter was definitive while the aperture width was changed. At last the best aperture width and wire diameter for the special weaving structure have been obtained. The offset paraboloid antenna with proper focus and caliber has been designed and used for validating the research result.The difference found in directivity depending on the weaving structure of mesh surfaces indicates that it is important to choose proper mesh weabing structure to abtain acceptable performance for mesh reflector antennas. Attempts have been done for the buiding of equivalent models and simulations of mesh antennas in the paper, it can provide some basis for the choosing of appropriate weaving structures for mesh reflectors. For the restriction of the electromagnetic simulating software for calculating, the paraboloid of proper length of focus and caliber has been designed.