Imbedded EM Protection Technology

The proposed effort will develop and demonstrate an imbedded protection technique for integrated electromagnetic protection of military systems and COTS equipment. The proposed imbedded protection technique will apply to all electromagnetic environmentsbut this research effort will focus on mitigating high altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) and high power microwave (HPM) effects. Under Phase I, the theoretical foundation for the new hardening technique was thoroughly developed. The resulting theorywas applied to several typical system topologies to study the feasibility of imbedding the penetration port protection into the enclosure port. A complete design methodology was developed and documented. This design methodology will be utilized in thePhase II demonstration effort where full scale imbedded protection devices will be produced and tested. A prototype enhanced wave guide below cut-off penetration protection device designed in Phase I and potential antenna port applications will beperformed under Phase II. The anticipated result of the proposed approach is the development of a new protection technique which will integrate penetration port hardening into the enclosure port (e.g. shield). If completely successful, the new protectiontechnique will be imbedded in the enclosure port but the protection concept will also be developed for non-imbedded applications.