Measurement of a shielding effectiveness of composite materials according to MIL-STD 285 and IEEE Std 299-2006

Abstract

This paper describes an equipment being developed at the Department of Electronics and Measurement of the Faculty of Applied Informatics of Tomas Bata University in Zlin that is designed to process measurements of shielding efficiency of composite materials according to standards MIL-STD 285 and IEEE Std. 299-2006. This kind of measurement is demanded by aircraft industry that develops new, lightweight materials for construction of aircrafts with reduced weight and dimensions and increased number of electronic devices. Besides the fact, that it is necessary to ensure mutual electromagnetic compatibility of the equipment mounted on the aircraft's board, all the devices must also sustain interferences caused by High Intensity Radiated Field (HIRF). This is important all the more, as in the past, there were several aircraft crashes recorded as a result of interference of their equipment with terrestrial transmitters. The hereby described measuring station enables measurement of the shielding efficiency of various materials by means of a comparative method, using a steel plate as a default material.