Bulk current injection testing of close proximity cable current return, 1 kHz to 1 MHz

This paper presents the results of an experiment examining the percentage of current that returns on adjacent wires or through a surrounding cable shield rather than through a shared conducting chassis. Simulation and measurement data are compared from 1 kHz - 1 MHz for seven common cable configurations. The phenomenon is important to understand, because minimizing the return current path is vital in developing systems with low radiated emissions.