Fiber-Reinforced Radome Structure for Lightweight Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to create a radome that balances lightweight design with high impact resistance performance, particularly for massive MIMO antennas, which are prone to damage during transportation and installation due to increased size and weight, and require enhanced protection against vibrations, falls, and hoisting impacts.
Innovation Solution
A radome design featuring a substrate layer and a reinforcement layer with a fiber layer and thermoplastic resin, where the fiber layer includes first fibers longer than 25 mm, and the thermoplastic resin is the same material as in the substrate layer, providing improved stress dispersion and reduced thickness for lightweight construction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the radome uses a single-material structure with increased thickness to meet impact resistance requirements, then impact resistance performance is improved, but the radome weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The radome adopts a composite structure consisting of a substrate layer and a reinforcement layer. The substrate layer is made of thermoplastic resin, while the reinforcement layer comprises a fiber layer (with fibers ≥25 mm in length) and thermoplastic resin. This composite material structure provides enhanced impact resistance performance while maintaining lightweight characteristics, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement layer is selectively positioned on the substrate layer, with the fiber layer and thermoplastic resin attached to the inner surface and/or outer surface of the substrate layer. This local reinforcement approach concentrates structural strength where impact resistance is most needed, while avoiding unnecessary weight addition in non-critical areas.
2Reliability
If the radome thickness is increased to improve impact resistance, then protection against vibrations, falls, and hoisting impacts is improved, but the radome becomes heavier and more difficult to install
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure with substrate layer and reinforcement layer provides superior impact resistance and protection against vibrations, falls, and hoisting impacts without requiring increased overall thickness. The fiber-reinforced structure delivers high strength-to-weight ratio, facilitating easier handling and installation while maintaining reliability.
3Strength
If the radome uses a thicker single-material structure, then impact resistance in steel ball tests and hoisting striking is improved, but the antenna system weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The radome's composite structure with substrate layer and reinforcement layer achieves superior impact resistance in steel ball tests and hoisting striking scenarios. The fiber layer with thermoplastic resin provides enhanced mechanical properties, delivering the required strength while maintaining lightweight characteristics for the overall antenna system.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement layer is strategically positioned on the substrate layer to provide localized strength enhancement where impact forces are most likely to occur, optimizing the weight-strength ratio for the antenna system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composite structure achieves better impact resistance and stress transfer, reducing the radome's weight while maintaining robustness, making it suitable for antenna systems with high impact resistance requirements, such as steel ball tests and hoisting scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
the fiber layer can absorb higher impact resistance energy, and good stress dispersion effect can be achieved
Implementation Method 2
the reinforcement layer includes a fiber layer and thermoplastic resin attached to the fiber layer
Data Source
AI summary
A radome is provided. The radome includes a substrate layer and a reinforcement layer, and the reinforcement layer is formed at least on an inner surface and/or an outer surface of the substrate layer. The reinforcement layer includes a fiber layer and thermoplastic resin attached to the fiber layer, the fiber layer includes a first fiber, and a length of the first fiber is greater than or equal to 25 mm; and the substrate layer includes thermoplastic resin, and the thermoplastic resin in the reinforcement layer is made of a same material as the thermoplastic resin in the substrate layer. According to the radome provided in this application, the reinforcement layer is provided on the substrate layer, so that impact resistance performance of the entire radome is improved by using the reinforcement layer. This is conducive to implementing lightweight of the radome and meeting an impact resistance performance requirement.