RCS characterization of a finite ground plane with perforated apertures: simulations and measurements

The monostatic radar cross section of a finite-size perfectly conducting flat plate with perforated apertures is investigated by simulations and measurements. The geometry of a finite ground plane with triangular apertures resembles airplane and automobile windows. The method of moments surface patch formulation is used to compute the radar cross section of a solid plate, a plate with two widely spaced apertures, and a plate with two closely spaced apertures. The characteristics of the triangular patch mesh can impact the accuracy of the computed results with this formulation. The paper presents a methodology to achieve high quality meshes to ensure that the time and convenience gained by developing the general method of moments code is not lost in mesh construction and convergence tests. The results obtained using the method of moments are compared with results obtained by measurements and physical optics. It is shown that the method of moments simulations and measurements are in good agreement. The key features of the influence of the aperture separation on the RCS patterns are discussed