Achievable field strength in reverberation chambers

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • N. Eulig - , Technical University of Braunschweig (Author)
  • A. Enders - , Technical University of Braunschweig (Author)
  • H. G. Krauthäuser - , Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (Author)
  • J. Nitsch - , Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (Author)

Abstract

Mode-stirred chambers (MSCs) can be used for radiated immunity tests in EMC testing. Advantageous compared to conventional test methods is the high field strength which can here be generated with less RF-Power. This point is often the main argument for pushing the standardization of MSCs as an other EMC testing environment. Especially for safety-critical electronic equipment like avionic or automotive systems, immunity tests with field strengths of several 100 V/m are necessary. Such high field strengths can only be generated with substantial RF power and therefore expensive amplifiers if the test is performed in an environment with plane waves. Due to resonance effects in mode-stirred chambers, comparable values of the field strength can there be obtained with significantly less power. In these chambers the field strength declines with increasing volume for a constant input power. As an ideal testing environment a mode-stirred chamber should also work at low frequencies which requires a large volume, however. Hence there is a contradiction between generating high level field strengths on the one hand and obtaining a lowest usable frequency of several 10 MHz on the other. This relativizes the advantage of generating high field strengths with less power if the chamber is supposed to work down to low frequencies. This article deals with the field strengths that can be obtained in mode-stirred chambers with a certain size. Data of different mode-stirred chambers are compared. From this a frequency limit can be derived, above which the use a mode-stirred chamber for achieving high field strengths seems meaningful only.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)53-56
Number of pages4
JournalAdvances in radio science
Volume1
Publication statusPublished - 2003
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-3894-9831/work/142252672

Keywords