Introduction

This Getting Started guide describes how to model a Radar Cross Section (RCS). This guide shows how to create and solve a model for computing RCS.

In this tutorial the following tasks are performed using HFSS:

• Draw the model geometry
• Create an open region with Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) boundaries
• Add the excitation
• Setup mesh operations
• Specify solution settings
• Validate the design setup
• Run HFSS simulations
• Create 2D X-Y plots.

RCS Model

The model for this simulation consists of a perfect electrical conductor (pec) target cube surrounded by an open region. The open region faces have PML (perfectly matched layer) boundaries. You will draw the target object and automatically create an open region with PML boundaries. The excitation is an incident plane wave.

The model has been kept fairly simple, to keep the solution time short. The purpose is to illustrate the basic principles in setting up this kind of problem and to demonstrate post processing for the RCS information.

The radar cross-section (RCS) or echo area, , is measured in meters squared and represented for a bistatic arrangement (that is, when the transmitter and receiver are in different locations as shown in the figure below).

The following diagram shows the bistatic RCS concept, with separate transmitting and receiving antennas:

HFSS supports RCS for Bistatic, Normalized Bistatic, Complex Bistatic, and Monostatic conditions. In this tutorial, you will generate plots for Normalized Bistatic and Monostatic situations.

General Procedure

The general procedure for creating and analyzing this RCS project is summarized as follows:

1. Create a project for HFSS:
1. Open a new project in Ansys Electronics Desktop
2. Add an HFSS design to the new project
2. Draw the model geometry (in this case, a radar target) and a create a surrounding open region:
1. Set the model length unit
2. Create the radar target box and assign its material (pec)
3. Create an open region with PML boundaries
3. Assign the incident plane wave excitation
4. Generate a solution:
1. Set up the solution criteria
2. Define mesh operations to refine the mesh
3. Generate the solution
5. Evaluate the results of the RCS solution:
1. Define bistatic RCS far field radiation sphere setup
2. Create bistatic RCS plot
3. Define monostatic RCS far field radiation sphere setup
4. Create monostatic RCS plot