UNIVERSITY HAWASSA INSTITUTE

OF TECHNOLOGY
School of Computer and Electrical Engineering
Weekend Post Praduate Communication Class
year I semister I
Advanced Antena Systems Assignement on
Corrugated Circular Horn Antennas

assignment done by
Anteneh Gebeyehu ID PGCOMW/002/09
Girma Hassena ID PGCOMW/009/09
Fitsum Lakew ID PGCOMW/008/09
1. Introduction/ Theory
Corrugated horn antennas are frequently used as the feed elements in space- and
ground-based reflector antennas for satellite and deep space communications. In
particular, for the latter application, it is desirable to design a horn that has a nearly
perfect circularly symmetric pattern (i.e., identical E- and H-plane patterns), with
zero or low cross-polarization, and at the same time achieves a specified beam
width and a low return loss at the design frequency range. A parametric study of
the corrugated horns, however, shows that the objective function relating the
pattern shape, beam width, and S11 is a nonlinear function of the corrugation
dimensions and has many local optima.

The shape of a horn antenna provides a gradual change in impedance from the
feeding waveguide to free space, resulting in low standing wave ratio. The
corrugations are used to mix different modes at a given frequency to reduce cross-
polarization. In particular, the horn antenna can be used to illuminate a parabolic
reflector as part of a satellite communication system. Reduced cross-polarization
results in reduced interference between adjacent channels that have alternating
vertical and horizontal polarization.

There are three main reasons for the existence of corrugated horn antennas.
Firstly, they exhibit radiation pattern symmetry, which offers the potential for
producing reflector antennas with high gain and low spillover; secondly, they
radiate with very low cross polarization, which is essential in dual polarization
systems and finally, they offer a wide bandwidth response.

2. Simulation on COMSOL Multiphsics

We focused mainly on parameters to observe the effects of them as shown on the
figure bellows by changing parameters like: - change in corrugation grid_y

- Change in horn thickness

- Change in wave guide radius

- Change length horn of antenna

WE WILL USE THIS PARAMETERS FOR REFERENCE PURPOSE (for this labs)
Name Expression1 Value Description
r1 0.183[m] 0.183 m Waveguide, radius
fc 1.841*c_const/2/pi/r1 4.8E8 1/s Cutoff frequency
m_angular -1 1 Azimuthal mode
number
f0 fc*1.2 5.76E8 rad/s Frequency
angle 17[deg] 0.29671 rad Flare angle
grid_y 0.105[m] 0.105 m Corrugation, y
grid_x r1*1.9 0.3477 m Corrugation, x
hl 4[m] 4m Horn, length
wl 1[m] 1m Waveguide, length
ht 0.5[m] 0.5 m Horn, thickness
lda0 c_const/f0 0.52047 m Wavelength

Electric Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)

Test 1
Changing the corrugation grid_y
Name Expression2 Value Description
r1 0.183[m] 0.183 m Waveguide, radius
fc 1.841*c_const/2/pi/r1 4.8E8 1/s Cutoff frequency
m_angular -1 1 Azimuthal mode number
f0 fc*1.2 5.76E8 rad/s Frequency
angle 17[deg] 0.29671 rad Flare angle
grid_y 0.095[m] 0.095 m Corrugation, y
grid_x r1*1.9 0.3477 m Corrugation, x
Name Expression2 Value Description
hl 4[m] 4m Horn, length
wl 1[m] 1m Waveguide, length
ht 0.5[m] 0.5 m Horn, thickness
lda0 c_const/f0 0.52047 m Wavelength

Electric Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)

Name Expression2 Value Description

r1 0.183[m] 0.183 m Waveguide, radius
fc 1.841*c_const/2/pi/r1 4.8E8 1/s Cutoff frequency
m_angular -1 1 Azimuthal mode number
f0 fc*1.2 5.76E8 rad/s Frequency
angle 17[deg] 0.29671 rad Flare angle
grid_y 0.200[m] 0.2 m Corrugation, y
grid_x r1*1.9 0.3477 m Corrugation, x
hl 4[m] 4m Horn, length
wl 1[m] 1m Waveguide, length
ht 0.5[m] 0.5 m Horn, thickness
lda0 c_const/f0 0.52047 m Wavelength

Electric Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)

Comparison of the Change the corrugation grid_y

Name Expression Expression Value Value Description
1 2 1 2
 Name Expression Expression Value Value Description
1 2 1 2
grid_y 0.105[m] 0.200[m] 0.105 m 0.2 m Corrugation, y

2D Far Field (emw)

Far field before and after the corrugation grid_y changed from (0.105[m]) - 0.200[m] the
remaining parameters being the same.

Observation
By decreasing the corrugation grid_y we can see that the antenna become directive and the
side and back lobe are removed from the beam. But when we increase the corrugation
grid_y side lobes the back lobes are created.

Test 2
Change in horn thickness
Name Expression Value Description
r1 0.183[m] 0.183 m Waveguide, radius
fc 1.841*c_const/2/pi/r1 4.8E8 1/s Cutoff frequency
m_angular -1 1 Azimuthal mode number
f0 fc*1.2 5.76E8 rad/s Frequency
angle 17[deg] 0.29671 rad Flare angle
grid_y 0.105[m] 0.105 m Corrugation, y
grid_x r1*1.9 0.3477 m Corrugation, x
hl 4[m] 4m Horn, length
wl 1[m] 1m Waveguide, length
ht 0.25[m] 0.25 m Horn, thickness
lda0 c_const/f0 0.52047 m Wavelength

Electric Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)

 Comparison of the Change the Horn, thickness

Name Expression Expression Value Value Description

1 2 1 2
ht 0.5[m] 0.25[m] 0.5 m 0.25 m Horn, thickness

2D Far Field (emw)

Far field before and after the Horn, thickness changed from (0.5[m]) - 0.25[m] the remaining
parameters being the same.

Observation
By increase the Horn, thickness we can side and back lobe are removed side and back lobe
from the beam and also we can get large Beam width. But when we decrease the Horn,
thickness the lobes are created.

Test 3
Change in wave guide radius
Name Expression2 Value Description
r1 0.933[m] 0.933 m Waveguide, radius
fc 1.841*c_const/2/pi/r1 9.4148E7 1/s Cutoff frequency
m_angular -1 1 Azimuthal mode number
f0 fc*1.2 1.1298E8 rad/s Frequency
angle 17[deg] 0.29671 rad Flare angle
grid_y 0.105[m] 0.105 m Corrugation, y
grid_x r1*1.9 1.7727 m Corrugation, x
hl 4[m] 4m Horn, length
wl 1[m] 1m Waveguide, length
ht 0.5[m] 0.5 m Horn, thickness
 Name Expression2 Value Description
lda0 c_const/f0 2.6535 m Wavelength

Electric Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)

Comparison of the Change the wave guide radius

Name Expression Expression Value Value Description

1 2 1 2
r1 0.183[m] 0.933[m] 0.183 m 0.933 m Waveguide,
radius

2D Far Field (emw)

Far field before and after the wave guide radius changed from (0.183[m]) - 0.933[m] the
remaining parameters being the same.

Observation
When we increase the wave guide radius the beam width more circular but when we
decrease the wave guide radius we get large beam width.
Test 4
Change length horn of antenna
Name Expression4-1 Value Description
r1 0.183[m] 0.183 m Waveguide, radius
fc 1.841*c_const/2/pi/r1 4.8E8 1/s Cutoff frequency
m_angular -1 1 Azimuthal mode number
f0 fc*1.2 5.76E8 rad/s Frequency
angle 17[deg] 0.29671 rad Flare angle
grid_y 0.105[m] 0.105 m Corrugation, y
grid_x r1*1.9 0.3477 m Corrugation, x
hl 3[m] 3m Horn, length
wl 1[m] 1m Waveguide, length
ht 0.5[m] 0.5 m Horn, thickness
lda0 c_const/f0 0.52047 m Wavelength

Electric Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)

Name Expression4+1 Value Description

r1 0.183[m] 0.183 m Waveguide, radius
fc 1.841*c_const/2/pi/r1 4.8E8 1/s Cutoff frequency
m_angular -1 1 Azimuthal mode number
f0 fc*1.2 5.76E8 rad/s Frequency
angle 17[deg] 0.29671 rad Flare angle
grid_y 0.105[m] 0.105 m Corrugation, y
grid_x r1*1.9 0.3477 m Corrugation, x
hl 5[m] 5m Horn, length
wl 1[m] 1m Waveguide, length
ht 0.5[m] 0.5 m Horn, thickness
lda0 c_const/f0 0.52047 m Wavelength
 Electric Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)

Comparison of the Change the horn length

Name Expression Expression Value Value Description

1 2 1 2
hl 4[m] 5[m] 4m 5m horn length

2D Far Field (emw) 2D Far Field (emw)-1 2D Far Field (emw)+1

Far field before and after the horn length changed from (4[m]) to (3[m] , 5[m]. the remaining
parameters being the same.

Observation
When we increase the horn length the directivity increase but when we decrease the horn
length we get large beam width than the Original.

3. Conclusion
We study the corrugated horn antennas by changing the parameters and depends of
the parameters we understand the changes on directivity and the beam width .

4. References
Balanis C. A. - Antenna Theory - Analysis and Design, 4th Edition 2016
COMSOL_Multiphysics