Multiconductor cable response dependency on propagation modes

A theoretical and experimental study of the response of shielded multiconductor cables to external transient fields is presented. A relationship between propagation modes and peak voltage response of the conductors is established. Experimental observation of the propagation modes on a multiconductor cable proved difficult with traditional transform techniques. Therefore, a maximum entropy spectral estimator was used to identify the propagation modes. The experimental response of the multiconductor cable showed variations in the peak open-circuit voltage. Analysis of the data with a maximum-entropy spectral estimator indicated the presence of multiple propagation modes on the conductors. Due to the complex weighting of these modes by the impedance matrix, a direct relationship between the propagation modes and the peak voltage was not established, but in general the wires with larger propagation modes had higher voltage peaks.<>