USF inventors have developed a meshed rectangular structure that has high transmission-per-unit-weight performance. To prove the effect of meshed walls, our inventors have 3-D printed and tested a set of Ku band meshed filters and rectangular waveguides. The transmission-per -unit-weight performance of the manufactured elements were superior to the standard, non-meshed counterparts, and it was possible to reduce weight with minimal effect on the high frequency performance, where a weight reduction of 22% is possible with only a mere 5% increase in attenuation constant. The 3D printed low weight components have numerous microwave applications including satellites, radar systems, and space craft.
A Meshed Waveguide Geometry