Alliant Techsystems Inc.

Mission Research Corporation

Ethan C Saladin

Andrew B MacFarland

Errol K English

Victor G Williams

Jay C Marcum

A three-dimensional FSS fabrication system is described. FSS elements are pre-mapped in two-dimensional form and constructed on a flat FSS panel that is then formed into a desired three-dimensional shape. The 2-D flat surface of the designed FSS is mapped into a desired three-dimensional curvature so that when formed from 2-D into the 3-D shape, the FSS elements are moved into a desired position and/or orientation. In one embodiment, the mapping from 2-D to 3-D is performed using the elastic properties of a desired substrate material. In one embodiment, one or more flat FSS panels are constructed on a formable or thermo-formable substrate. In one embodiment, the substrate includes a thermoplastic. In one embodiment, the substrate includes a thermoplastic material with fiber reinforcement. The FSS elements can be created by printing, deposition, photo-etching, etc. The flat FSS layers are thermoformed or chemically formed over a tool having the desired shape. In one embodiment, the FSS layers are formed to the shape of the tool by using vacuum techniques. In one embodiment, the FSS layers are formed to the shape of the tool by supporting the FSS layer between male and female tools.

Thermoformed frequency selective surface

An apparatus and method to twist the field polarization of an electromagnetic wave over a desired frequency band is described. In one embodiment, a transmission twister rotates the polarization of a linearly-polarized incident field to produce a transmitted field. In one embodiment, the transmission twister includes a resonant polarization-twisting array between two linearly-polarized arrays. In one embodiment, the transmission twister rotates the polarization by 90 degrees. In one embodiment, the transmission twister produces low reflection of a desired incident polarization. In one embodiment, the transmission twister has a transmission coefficient (with respect to the desired incident field polarization and a correspondingly rotated transmitted field polarization) close to unity.

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Centerville, OH, United States of America

Ethan C Saladin