Wireless propagation studies in highly resonant and dynamic environments

This thesis develops efficient tools for modelling wireless communications within highly resonant environments. The aim of these tools is to augment analysis of wireless systems inside closed metallic cavity environments. The primary application for these systems is within the aerospace industry where weight and space are restricted and robustness is critical. The use of ever-advancing wireless communication options would offer significant weight and cost savings and increase safety through supplementing or the replacement of wired systems. The use of a low power wireless system offers the greatest advantage in terms of flexibility and weight. Accordingly, the most suitable applications of the wireless systems are discussed in terms of existing avionic systems. The electromagnetic properties of the aircraft environment and parameters to characterise both the properties of the environment and the wireless signal are introduced. Efficient models are then developed, which characterise the resonant and associated multipath nature of the cavity based on an equivalent circuit approach. The efficiency of these models permits the use of a statistical modelling approach, akin to reverberation chamber measurement techniques, in order to generalise the results for typically non-constant modal structures. Finally, a fractional boundary placement model is developed to augment the transmission line modelling method and permit boundary placement at non-integer positions within a structured mesh. The technique provides a semi-conformal capability with no deleterious impact on the modelling time step. This is then extended to a dynamic model for modelling structural variations during the simulation. A subset of wireless communication approaches is presented and the effectiveness and suitability of such systems are discussed. The developed models are applied to characteristic environments and a selection of the wireless communication methodologies in order to provide examples of their use and an insight into the effect of these environments upon a wireless system