Efficacy of Net Epoxy Resin for Electromagnetic Shielding in X-Band Frequency Range

X-band microwaves, which are part of electromagnetic waves, have various applications, such as satellite communications, radar, navigation, air traffic control, marine functions, and weather stations. Therefore, many workers are exposed to these waves in the workplace. Previous studies showed that these frequencies have adverse health effects. In occupational health, the use of shielding as an engineering measure is a priority in controlling radiation in the workplace. This study investigated the efficacy of net epoxy resin as electromagnetic shielding from occupational radiation. Epoxy plates were fabricated in three different thicknesses (2, 4, and 6 mm), and their shielding effectiveness was measured by a vector network analyzer. The amounts of reflected energy and transmitted energy were determined by using the scattering parameters. The results showed that the epoxy plates 6 and 2 mm thick had the highest and the lowest averages of shielding effectiveness at 4.48 dB and 1.90 dB, respectively. However, increasing the thickness was useful up to 4 mm. In addition, in a similar attenuation pattern, X-band frequency was divided into lower, middle, and upper sections. The lower section had the highest shielding effectiveness. The results showed that reflection was the main mechanism in the overall shielding effectiveness. These findings indicate that epoxy resin could be applied as a proper shield against microwave radiation in the workplace.