Stochastic Characterization of Naval Aircraft Electromagnetic Vulnerability - ElectroMagnetic Susceptibility Threshold Analysis Techniques by Estimation and Statistics (EMSTATES)

Stochastic Characterization of Naval Aircraft Electromagnetic Vulnerability - ElectroMagnetic Susceptibility Threshold Analysis Techniques by Estimation and Statistics (EMSTATES)
Navy STTR FY2008

Sol No.:	Navy STTR FY2008
Topic No.:	N08-T006
Topic Title:	Stochastic Characterization of Naval Aircraft Electromagnetic Vulnerability - ElectroMagnetic Susceptibility Threshold Analysis Techniques by Estimation and Statistics (EMSTATES)
Proposal No.:	N08A-006-0263
Firm:	ANDRO Computational Solutions, LLC Beeches Technical Campus 7902 Turin Road, Ste. 2-1 Rome, New York 13440-2067
Contact:	Andrew Drozd
Phone:	(315) 334-1163
Web Site:	www.androcs.com
Abstract:	Military aircraft come replete with interconnected electronic systems (e.g., communication, radar, and navigation systems). As the operating frequencies broaden and systems become more complex, their proper functioning is increasingly threatened by electromagnetic interference (EMI) from high-power external sources encountered in their operating environments as well as internal sources. Because experimental testing of these systems' EMC in their operational environments comes late in the acquisition process, simulation tools are needed to gauge their system-level immunity to EMI as early as possible in the program in order to minimize acquisition cost and timeline. For such tools to be useful, they must be capable of accounting for the complexities encountered with this problem. This includes computing the fields within aircraft cockpits, cabins and equipment bays as well as currents on objects such as avionic systems and their interconnecting cables. Computations must be done over a broad frequency range representative of the operational EM environments and a nearly infinite number of source geometries fields on and within these complex structures. Significant uncertainty arises due to the complexity of both the physical structures and the variability of the electromagnetic sources to the point of rendering computational electromagnetic (CEM) codes an inefficient means of addressing this problem. The geometrical complexity of critical electronic systems and cabling found on military aircraft and other systems has increased to the point where classical methods of analysis and numerical computation no longer give satisfactory results for EM coupling, propagation, compatibility and other issues of practical concern. Moreover, these systems face a broad range of intentional and unintentional EMI sources and threats. This effort is aimed at developing new computational technologies, called EMSTATES, that permit the characterization of EMI phenomena in complex systems while accounting for their stochastic nature and uncertainties in their composition and input-output characteristics. A key component of this tool is its ability to quantify the results in a stochastic sense in order to facilitate weapon system performance risk assessments. This effort focuses on methods to combine reverberation and mode-stir measurement insight with electromagnetic field sampling statistics to the current problem.
Benefits:	EMSTATES technologies will be used to describe and analyze the electromagnetic vulnerability problem and determine the feasibility of computational electromagnetic tools employed to stochastically characterize the fields within cockpits, cabins and equipment bays of aircraft. The commercial sector can also benefit from this technology. For example, the EMI problems encountered on military aircraft are also a serious problem for the commercial airliner industry. Commercial aircraft manufacturers currently use relatively crude codes (e.g., spreadsheets) or "back of the envelope" calculations to study EMI problems associated with EMI coupling. A sophisticated tool will allow for much greater accuracy and efficiency in this process, which will in turn provide significant time and cost savings. Optimizing the design, performance, and application of aircraft communications, sensor, and navigation systems using EMSTATES can ultimately help to promote company competitiveness and productivity in these market niches. Also, as a result of the universal need for wireless communication and information collection from onboard sensors, there is an increasing need for new and complex systems designs to be integrated on host platforms. These would also benefit from EMSTATES technologies.

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