A practical approach for comparative assessment of electromagnetic attenuation in bulky materials using reflection-only measurements

A practical method for comparing the intrinsic electromagnetic attenuations of bulky materials has been introduced. This approach employs normal incidence reflection (S_11) only measurements of metal-backed walls constituted by building materials and relies on accurate processing of echoes from metal plates through a time gating algorithm. The resulting attenuation parameter α_diff reflects the difference in attenuation constants of two distinct materials per unit length. The technique has been validated using point scattering simulation and applied to 1–3 GHz real experimental data collected from two primary building materials: bims (or pumice) concrete and clay brick. The frequency variation of this relative measure has been evaluated, given the importance of understanding how these materials affect rubble-penetrating radar and other relevant applications.