Optimal design of broadband radar-absorbing composite structures based on different compositions, processing, and geometric parameters

The main challenge in the design of radar-absorbing composite structures (RASs) is that there is a variety of different parameters affecting the absorbing performance. In this study, these parameters are categorized into: (1) reinforcing materials including fabric types (i.e., glass fabric, carbon fabric, and 3D fabric) and filler types (i.e., carbon black, carbonyl iron, and polyaniline); (2) geometric parameters including layer thickness and stacking sequences; and (3) manufacturing methods. Up to now, the effect of all these parameters has not been simultaneously investigated and optimized on the X-band radar-absorbing feature of composite structures. Therefore, the influence of all these parameters is first experimentally investigated using waveguide tests; then, a new multi-objective optimization algorithm based on NSGA II technique is developed to simultaneously optimize the effective parameters for high-performance RAS with maximum average reflection loss and minimum weight, while considering structural limitations. Finally, the proposed algorithm is evaluated by experimental results.