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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
Wideband S-parameter measurements have been used to investigate the properties of electrically non-conductive materials using a vector network analyzer. Using S21 scattering parameters, amplitude and phase shift measurements were taken for a variety of both homogeneous and heterogeneous materials. With these initial S-parameter measurements as a reference, surface defects were modeled on the test samples and the S-parameter measurements were reevaluated. The effect of varying levels of moisture absorption in certain materials was also investigated. The results of this study indicate that there is indeed potential for the use of a vector network analyzer as a nondestructive testing tool to evaluate the structural integrity and/or moisture content of electrically non-conductive materials through the transmission of microwave energy.