Thermal-mechanical simulation of T/R microwave module assembly process

T/R-modules are key elements in active phased array antennas for radar and electronic warfare applications. Though much research has been carried out on the T/R microwave module operating characteristics, there are few actual studies on its assembly process. Considering many process failures found in T/R microwave module manufacturing, the assembly process, including welding and screwing, and environment test, was simulated by Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in the paper. Different flatness models were built to assess the effect of warpage. The thermal and mechanical stress values of each assembly process were showed and the results were analyzed to determine the key factors and the improvement measures to the assembly process.