Edge-wave diffraction for flat-plate structures

An engineering approximation of the edge-guided wave contribution to radar cross-section (RCS) calculations is investigated. A dyadic diffraction coefficient is extrapolated from the representation of the edge-wave diffraction mechanisms associated with a dipole radiating in the close vicinity of the edge of a trihedron. The edge wave excited by the tip of a vertex and guided along an edge is derived from reciprocity. The rediffraction of the edge-guided fields is evaluated via multiplication with the proper edge-wave vertex diffraction coefficient. RCS calculations and time-domain extraction techniques are employed to assess and validate edge-wave diffractions from a flat plate, in comparison with method of moments computations and measured data