Acoustical Detection of Arcing in High Power Wave Guides

When waveguides of high power radar systems are installed in corrosive environments gaps tend to form at the joints. These gaps change the characteristic impedance of the waveguide, causing reduced system efficiency and potential damage to the radar. An indication of these gaps are arcs generated by the high power radar signals crossing the gaps. Phase I will develop and validate a technique to locate the gaps in the radar waveguides early on so that the joints may be repaired, reducing potential damage to the radar. The technique used will detect and localize the source of the acoustic energy produced by the arcs. A study of the airborne and structural acoustic transmission paths will be conducted to determine which acoustical sensor is more appropriate, microphones or accelerometers. The system will then use the selected sensors to monitor the waveguide. The data from these sensors will then be analyzed using various detection methods, and the optimum method selected and refined. A prototype system will be constructed and tested to prove the concept. AMSI has developed both hardware and software for numerous acoustical data acquisition and detection systems. The proposed personnel for this SBIR have over 50 years combined experience in these fields.