Design, fabrication, and characterization of lightweight and broadband microwave absorbing structure reinforced by two dimensional composite lattice

Microwave absorbing structures (MASs) reinforced by two dimensional (2D) composite lattice elements have been designed and fabricated. The density of these MASs is lower than 0.5 g/cm(3). Experimental measurements show that the sandwich structure with glass fiber reinforced composite (GFRC) lattice core can serve as a broadband MAS with its reflectivity below -10 dB over the frequency range of 4-18 GHz. The low permittivity GFRC is indicated to be the proper material for both the structural element of the core and the transparent face sheet. Calculations by the periodic moment method (PMM) demonstrate that the 2D Kagome lattice performs better for microwave absorbing than the square one at relatively low frequencies. The volume fraction and cell size of the structural element are also revealed to be key factors for microwave absorbing performance.