Quantitative calculation of electromagnetic scattering characteristics from drag plate of aircraft afterbody

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of the afterbody model with two drag plates.

Design/methodology/approach

The plane shape of the drag plate model is designed as a rectangle. High-precision unstructured grid technology is used to treat the target surface. A calculation method based on multiple tracking and dynamic scattering module is presented to calculate the radar cross section (RCS).

Findings

The results show that under the given observation conditions, the RCS and surface scattering characteristics of a single drag plate change with the increase of the opening angle, which makes the forward RCS of the afterbody model change more than 8.43 dBm2. The opening of two resistance plates at different fixed angles has little effect on the peak value and position of the RCS of the afterbody model. The dynamic deflection of the two drag plates can bring 16.78 dBm2 fluctuations to the forward RCS of the afterbody model, and more than 25.59 dBm2 fluctuations to the side RCS.

Practical implications

The installation positions of the drag plate on the aircraft are various, so the method in this paper can provide reference and support for RCS analysis of the speed brake at other positions.

Originality/value

The presented calculation method is of engineering value to analyze the electromagnetic scattering characteristics of the drag plate.

Citation

Zhou, Z. and Huang, J. (2023), "Quantitative calculation of electromagnetic scattering characteristics from drag plate of aircraft afterbody", Engineering Computations, Vol. 40 No. 7/8, pp. 2009-2025. https://doi.org/10.1108/EC-11-2022-0694