ABSTRACT A CONFORMAL TAGUCHI OPTIMIZED E-PATCH ANTENNA By Chad Michael GardnerThe performance of a cavity-backed E-patch antenna placed conformal to a cylin- drical conducting surface is explored numerically using the finite element boundary integral (FE-BI) method. From using rigorous full-wave simulations based on the finite element method, the effects of curvature are assessed for such antenna charac- teristics as bandwidth and impedance. The necessary changes to the patch geometry to maintain an acceptable impedance match and a desired bandwidth for rectangu- lar cavity-backed E-patch antennas are determined. Cylindrically conformal cavity- backed E-patch antennas are simulated and perform well with many different cylinder radii. A experimental cylindrical conformal cavity-backed E-patch antenna was built to verify simulations and preformed well at the L1 and L2 frequencies. Radiation patterns of both experimental and simulated cylindrically conformal cavity-back E-patch antennas are analyzed and perform well.Taguchi's method of optimization is used to optimize |S11| of rectangular cavity- backed E-patch antennas. Using Matlab and rigorous full-wave simulations based on the finite element method in combination, the effects of having different fitness functions, level differences, and input parameters in Taguchi's method of optimization are explored and determined.
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