A Comparative Study of Conformal Antenna Arrays for Aerodynamic Applications

This paper presents a comprehensive study of conformal antenna arrays for aerodynamic applications. The surfaces of high-speed objects such as cylinder and cone have been investigated. The design criteria have been presented for planar substrate integrated waveguide (SIW), cylindrical and conical conformal antenna arrays. The full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulation for the chosen surfaces has been carried out in Ansys HFSS and it is observed that the sidelobe levels (SLLs) of the three cases are −18 dB, −19.26 dB and −22.8 dB, respectively. Furthermore, the merits and demerits of cylindrical and conical conformal arrays have been discussed in detail.