Mode Stirring Chambers for full size aircraft tests: concept- and design-studies

Mode Stirring Chambers (MSCs) provide an interesting environment for testing electronic systems against radiated electromagnetic fields. As the MSC method is discussed controversy these days, the MSC test procedure offers advantages compared to conventional approaches (outdoor ranges, anechoic chambers). The most interesting aspects are time effective testing as well as lower equipment costs (amplifiers, antennas, facilities) due to reduced power requirements and the absence of absorbers. These aspects render MSCs especially interesting for the test of large objects, like aircrafts (A/C) of the size of a Eurofighter Typhoon. Besides the aforementioned advantages, the MSC method also pose some drawbacks, namely, the loss of input-angle dependent information, the influence of losses in the DUT on the required excitation power levels, and finally, MSC testing is still not yet approved by military authorities. From this starting point in 2001, EADS Military Aircraft initiated a series of studies for the evaluation and planning of a MSC for fun size aircraft testing. In the first part of this contribution, the general concept is outlined and some relevant parameters are given. In the second part, the subject of the evaluation of different mode-tuners by means of numerical simulations is addressed.