Research on electromagnetic scattering characteristics of flexible stealth material based on its 3D model

Abstract

With the widespread adoption of flexible stealth materials (FSMs) in radar stealth application, understanding their electromagnetic scattering information has become increasingly crucial. However, acquiring the electromagnetic scattering properties of FSMs solely through measurement can be challenging. Hence, this study proposes an electromagnetic scattering model for FSMs based on random undulating units formed by sweeping two parabola functions. Specifically, the multi-layer fast multipole method (MLFMM) is applied to calculate the model’s monostatic RCS within 8–12 GHz, enabling a comprehensive analysis of FSM’s electromagnetic scattering characteristics (ESCs). We fabricate an FSM sample for experimental validation and conduct meticulous measurements alongside theoretical calculations. Impressively, the calculated results exhibit relatively good agreement with the measured data, signifying our model’s reliability. Furthermore, by leveraging the proposed model and the MLFMM, we delve into the influence of various electromagnetic parameters, the undulating angle, and the size of undulation units on the ESCs of FSM. Our numerical results demonstrate that the ESCs of FSM exhibit regular variations in response to the changes in these parameters. In addition, we meticulously examine the interaction between electromagnetic waves and the material, further enriching our understanding of the observed results. This research provides valuable references for ESC investigation of flexible stealth material and radar stealth experimental design.