Design and development of electromagnetic absorbers with carbon fiber composites and matching dielectric layers

Radar absorbing materials are designed and developed with carbon fibers and suitable matching layers. Complex permittivities of carbon fiber composite are predicted on the basis that the modulus of permittivity obeys a logarithmic law of mixtures and the dielectric loss tangents are related through a linear law of mixtures. Linear regression analysis performed on the data points provides the constants which are used to predict the effective permittivities of carbon fiber composite at different frequencies. Using the free space measurement system, complex permittivities of the lossy dielectric at different frequencies are obtained. These complex permittivities are used to predict the reflectivity of a thin lossy dielectric layer on carbon fiber composite substrate. The predicted results agree quite well with the measured data. It is interesting to note that the thin lossy dielectric layer, about 0.03 mm thick, has helped to reduce the reflectivity of the 5.2 mm thick carbon fiber composite considerably.