In situ characterization of building materials for propagation modeling: frequency and time responses

We propose original data processing methods for the dielectric characterization of frequency-dependent reflection coefficients of construction materials considering a very wide frequency band. Two types of approaches have been developed to obtain, from spectral measurements, estimates of the equivalent complex permittivity versus frequency or reconstruction of the impulse response. In particular, high-resolution (HR) algorithms based on the matrix pencil method have been used in an original way to identify wave multipath inside a sample. Both approaches have been used for the characterization of different types of building materials. A database of dielectric responses of materials is under construction in order to provide the deterministic propagation simulator with the characteristics of building materials.