International Journal of Electronics, Communication &

Instrumentation Engineering Research and

Development (IJECIERD);
SSN (P): 2249-684X; ISSN (E): 2249-7951
Vol. 4, Issue 6, Dec 2014, 1-12
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

EVALUATION OF SHIELDING EFFECTIVENESS OF RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE

WITH MULTIPLE APERTURES USING TRANSMISSION LINE MODEL
G. KAMESWARI, P. V. Y. JAYASREE & V. GOPI
Department of ECE, GIT, Gitam University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT
The electrical and magnetic shielding effectiveness of a metallic shield perforated with numerous apertures is
evaluated in this work using the Transmission Line Method (TLM). Here an appropriate admittance that takes the mutual
coupling between the apertures into account is considered as to represent the array of apertures. The fundamental formulas
are included to deal with the case of a rectangular enclosure with numerous small rectangular apertures in this model.
The electric and magnetic shielding effectiveness are compared in this paper. The observation points are taken along one of
the rectangular enclosure dimension i.e., depth of the enclosure and then observed the each point for the shielding
effectiveness of both electric and magnetic fields. Shielding effectiveness is calculated for the oblique incidence of single
and multiple apertures. Simulation results demonstrate that: lower frequencies display better shielding than higher
frequencies; the effectiveness of shielding of a single hole is worse than of a multi-hole for identical areas. The electric
shielding effectiveness increases continuously with the angle of incidence and the magnetic shielding effectiveness
decreases continuously with the angle of incidence.

KEYWORDS: Electromagnetic Interference, Shielding Effectiveness, Transmission Line Method (TLM), Perforated
Wall with Numerous Apertures, Oblique Incidence

INTRODUCTION
With the gradual advance and application of electronic technology, the electromagnetic interference problem
becomes more and more threatening. Electromagnetic interference causes degradation of system performance or
equipment. To control or suppress EMI and achieve EMC there are many methods like shielding, grounding and filtering
etc. It is well known that shielding is the most important technique used to control the EMI. Shielding effectiveness (SE)
can be defined as the ratio of magnitude between the electric or magnetic field which is present on the barrier and that of
the electric or magnetic field which is transmitted through the barrier. Wave penetration through apertures and slots used to
accommodate visibility, weight ratio, ventilation, or access to interior components affects SE primarily and drastically.
Several analytical and Numerical techniques are suggested to estimate SE of an enclosure with apertures. Analytical
methods are accurate but can just be applied to very simple geometries with some approximations. A simple analytical
method based on transmission-line parameters have been introduced by Robinson et al [2].In this method, the rectangular
enclosure and the aperture is modeled by a short-circuited rectangular waveguide and a coplanar strip transmission line,
respectively. The electric and magnetic SE is obtained by using the voltage and the current at a point in the equivalent
circuit. This straightforward approach is limited to center aperture and the incident plane wave can only have one
polarization direction of travel and ignores the mutual admittance between apertures. There are numerous numerical
techniques such as finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method [3], finite element method [4], transmission-line matrix

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G. Kameswari, P. V. Y. Jayasree & V. Gopi

method [5] and hybrid [6] methods that offer good accuracy over a broad frequency band but at the cost of large memory
and CPU time. Hence, numerical techniques are severely limited in analyzing realistic enclosures that have large numbers
(hundreds) of small holes. The available time-domain methods include TLM and FDTD. TLM is a well-established
technique, suitable for the prediction of transient in electromagnetic applications. Moreover, TLM is simple, explicit, and
unconditionally stable. So, TLM is preferred here. In this work, for an enclosure with many rectangular openings, we
present more accurate aperture array admittance [1] for use in behavior the waveguide equivalent circuit model of
Robinson et al [2]. While the enclosure is modeled as a short-circuited waveguide, the aperture array is characterized by
admittance [7], [8].

EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT MODEL OF A RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE

Rectangular cabinet with a rectangular aperture is shown in figure 1.
Figure 2 Shows An Equivalent Circuit of Robinson Et Al [2] Which Is A Rectangular Shaped Aperture Within An
Empty Enclosure of The Same Shape. The Longer Side of The Slot Is Shown Normal to The E-field, Which Is The Worst
Case for Shielding.

Figure 1: Rectangular Cabinet with a Rectangular Aperture.

The Observation Point is P and the Wall Thickness is T.

Figure 2: Equivalent Circuit of Enclosure

The electric shielding at a distance p from the slot is obtained from the voltage at point p in the equivalent
circuit, while the current at p gives the magnetic shielding. In Figure 2, the source of radiation is represented by voltage
V0 and the impedance Z0=377. The typical impedance and the propagation constant of the enclosure by the shorted wave
guide are represented as Z g and K g .We proceed by first finding equivalent impedance for the slot and then using simple
transmission line theory to transform all the voltages and impedances to point P.
Slot Impedance
The aperture is represented as a length of coplanar strip transmission line, shorted at each end. The total width is
Impact Factor (JCC):4.9467

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

Evaluation of Shielding Effectiveness of Rectangular Enclosure with Multiple Apertures Using Transmission Line Model

equal to the height of the enclosure b and the separation is equal to the width of the slot w. Its characteristic impedance is
given by [9] as

Z os = 120 k ( we / b) k 1 ( we / b)

k and k 1 are elliptic integrals. The effective width we is given by

Where
w

(1)

5t
4 w
1 + ln

4
t

= w

(2)

Where, t is the thickness of the enclosure wall.

If we

b/ 2 (which is true for most practical apertures) then, according to [9] the following approximation may

be used:

os

= 1 2 0

ln

1+
2
1

(w e
(w e

)
2
/b)

/b

(3)

To calculate the aperture impedance Zap, we transform the short circuits at the ends of the aperture through a
distance l/2 to the center. This is represented by point A in the equivalent circuit. It is mandatory here to include a factor l/a
to account for the coupling between the aperture and the enclosure
Z

ap

1 l
2 a

jZ

os

k l
ta n 0
2

(4)

This accounts for the connection between transmission line and waveguide.

ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC SHIELDING EFFECTIVENESS

According to Thevenins theorem fusing Z0, V0 and Zap results in an equivalent voltage.

V
Z

(5)

a p

+ Z

a p

And source impedance Z1 = Z 0 Z ap / Z 0 + Z ap

(6)

For the TE10 mode of propagation, the waveguide has characteristic impedance:

Z g = Z 0 / 1 ( / 2a ) 2
And propagation constant:
Where

(7)

K g = K 0 * 1 ( / 2 a ) 2

(8)

K 0 = 2 / 0

Note that Z g and K g are imaginary at frequencies below the cutoff (equal to c0 /2a). Then V1, Z1 and the short
circuit at the terminal of the wave guide to P are transformed by attributing an equivalent voltage V2, source impedance Z2
and load impedance Z3.
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G. Kameswari, P. V. Y. Jayasree & V. Gopi

V1
C o s ( k g P ) + j ( Z 1 / Z g ) s in ( k g p )

V2 =

1 +

j(Z

jZ
1

ta n ( k

(9)

p )

/ Z g ) ta n ( k

(10)

p )

Z 3 = jZ g tan k g ( d p )

(11)

The voltage at P is now V p = V2 Z 3 / ( Z 2 + Z 3 )

(12)

And the current at P is I p = V2 / ( Z 2 + Z 3 )

(13)

When the enclosure is absent, the load impedance at p remains simply as Z0. The voltage at p is VP1 = V0/2 and
the current is IP 1 = V0/2Z0.
The electric and magnetic shielding are, therefore, given by

SE = 20 log10 2V p / V0

(14)

SM = 20 log10 2 I p Z0 / V0

(15)

Rectangular Enclosure with Multiple Apertures

For correct estimation of shielding, it is essential to consider the mutual coupling between the apertures.

Figure 3: Wall of an Enclosure Partially Perforated by a Centered Array of Rectangular

For array of apertures given in Figure3, the normalized shunt admittance is ([10], [11]) is given by

Yah
3d h d v 0
288
2
2
2
2
2
=j
+j
. ( m n / d v + n m / d h ) J1 ( X )

Yo
d3
0 d 2 m = 0 n =0
m odd n odd

Where

(16)

and Y0 are the free-space wavelength and intrinsic admittance respectively, dv and dh are the vertical and

horizontal separations between the holes and d is the diameter of circular hole.
The argument of the Bessel function is

Impact Factor (JCC):4.9467

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

Evaluation of Shielding Effectiveness of Rectangular Enclosure with Multiple Apertures Using Transmission Line Model

1/2

d (m 2 / d h2 n 2 / d v2 ) / 2
X=
5/2
( m2 / dh2 + n2 / dv2 )

(17)

Where d = 0.636(h + s) for rectangular holes

(18)

Here h is length of small rectangular hole ands is width of small rectangular hole.

d = 2d s For square holes

Here

(19)

d s is side length of the small square hole and the primes denote summation on even integers only, J1 is the

Bessel function of the first kind of the first order, and m, n=1 if m, n = 0 and 2 if m, n

0. The second term in (16) can be

neglected when dv, dh and d are much less than the wavelength. The impedance Zah =1 /Yah models the array of small
rectangles linking the free space with the waveguide [6], [7]. Figure 3 depicts an enclosure wall partially perforated by an
array of rectangles; its effective wall impedance Zah1 is a fraction of Zah. Using an impedance ratio concept, Zah1 becomes

w l
Z ah1 = Z ah

ab

(20)

Where length l and width w of the array are

l=

dh
d
+ ( m 1) d h + h
2
2

(21)

dv
d
+ ( n 1) d v + v
2
2

(22)

w=

Here, m and n are the number of small holes in length and width of the array, respectively.
Angle of Incidence
We know that an electromagnetic wave consists of magnetic and electric fields which are always perpendicular to
each other. When the electric field along the y-direction and magnetic field along the x-direction then the wave propagated
along the z-direction. To any polarization angle , incident wave can be decomposed into two orthogonal components, of
which electric strength is

Vo sin

E cos

and

E sin

respectively. This can result in the source voltage

Vo cos

and

in the equivalent circuit.

RESULTS
Single Aperture
Electric Shielding Effectiveness
We consider a rectangular box of size (300X120X300) mm3, whose walls are perforated with rectangular slots.
The box is assumed to be excited by a plane wave with normal incidence for studying the SE of a rectangular box with
perforated walls. Figure 4 shows the variation of the electric shielding effectiveness as a function of frequency by using
TLM method. The calculations show that the enclosure resonates at approximately 700MHZ frequency and SE decreases
with frequency below the resonant frequency.
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Figure 4: Calculated Se Using Transmission Line Formulation in 300x120x300mm3 Box With 100x5mm2 Apertures
Figure 5 shows the calculated SE at three different positions within the (300X120X300) mm3 enclosure with an
(100X5) mm2 aperture. The calculations show that the enclosure resonates at approximately 700MHz. below the resonant
frequency SE decreases with frequency and increases with distance from the aperture.

Figure 5: Calculated Se at Three Positions in 300x120x300mm3 Box with 100x5mm2 Aperture

Figure 6 shows calculated SE at center in 300X120X300 mm3 with two different apertures of sizes 100X5mm2
and200X30 mm2. It is observed that the shielding of larger aperture at lower frequencies is worse than that of the smaller.

Figure 6: Calculated Se at Center in 300x120x300mm3 Box with Two 100x5mm 2 and 200x30mm2
Apertures

Figure 7 shows the calculated SE at the centre of the boxes of (222X55X146) mm3, (480X120X480) mm3 with
the same aperture (100X5) mm2. It can be observed from these figures that the small box does not resonate below 1GHz,
while the big box shows resonances at 440 and 980MHz.

Impact Factor (JCC):4.9467

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

Evaluation of Shielding Effectiveness of Rectangular Enclosure with Multiple Apertures Using Transmission Line Model

Figure 7: Calculated Se of 222x55x146mm3 and 480x120x480mm3 Boxes with the Same Aperture of 100x5 Mm2
Size
Magnetic Shielding Effectiveness
We consider a rectangular box of size (300X120X300) mm3, whose walls are perforated with rectangular slots.
The box is assumed to be excited by a plane wave with normal incidence for studying the SM of a rectangular box with
perforated walls.

Figure 8: Calculated Sm Using Transmission Line Formulation In 300x120x300mm3 Box With 100x5mm2
Aperture

Figure 8 shows the variation of the magnetic shielding effectiveness as a function of frequency by using TLM
method. Figure 8 shows that the SM is almost independent of frequency.
Figure 9 shows SM of the 300X120X300mm3 box with 100X5mm2 aperture, calculated at p=30, 150 and 270mm.
The box resonance at 700MHz can be seen at p=30mm and p=270mm but is not occur at the center of the box due to the
mode structure of the resonance. SM increases with distance from the aperture at lower frequencies, but is almost
independent of frequency.

Figure 9: Calculated Sm at Three Positions in 300x120x300mm3 Box with 100x5mm2 Aperture

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Figure10 shows calculated SM at center in 300X120X300 mm3 with two different apertures of sizes 100X5mm2
and 200X30 mm2. It is observed that the shielding of larger aperture at lower frequencies is worse than that of the smaller.

Figure 10: Calculated Sm at Center in 300x120x300mm3 Box with Two 100x5mm 2 and 200x30mm2
Apertures

Figure 11 shows the calculated SM at the centre of the boxes of (222X55X146) mm3, (480X120X480) mm3 with
the same aperture (100X5) mm2. It can be observed from these figures that the small box does not resonate below 1GHz,
while the big box shows resonances at 440 and 980MHz.

Figure 11: Calculated Sm of 222x55x146mm3 and 480x120x480mm3 Boxes with the Same Aperture of 100x5 Mm2
Size
Rectangular Enclosure with Multiple Apertures
Figure 12 shows the electrical SE results for the same box dimensions 300X120X300mm3 but different arrays of
(2X2), (4X4), (6X6) rectangular apertures with 40mm vertical and horizontal separation, in each case the total area was
same. The transmission line formulation predicts that SE is increased by increasing the number of apertures while keeping
the total area the same.

Figure 12: Comparison of Electrical Se for the Same Box Dimensions 300x120x300mm3 but Different
Arrays of (2x2), (4x4), (6x6) Rectangular Apertures

Impact Factor (JCC):4.9467

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

Evaluation of Shielding Effectiveness of Rectangular Enclosure with Multiple Apertures Using Transmission Line Model

Figure 13 shows the magnetic SE results for the same box dimensions 300X120X300mm3 but different arrays of
(2X2), (4X4), (6X6) rectangular apertures with 40mm vertical and horizontal separation, in each case the total area was
same. The transmission line formulation predicts that magnetic SE is increased by increasing the number of apertures while
keeping the total area the same and it is almost independent of frequency.

Figure 13: Comparison of Magnetic Se for the Same Box Dimensions 300x120x300mm3 but Different Arrays of
(2x2), (4x4), (6x6) Rectangular Apertures
Angle of Incidence
Figure 14 Shows The Electric Shielding Effectiveness Verses Angle of Incidence. It Can Be Observed That The
Electric Shielding Effectiveness Increases Continuously With The Angle of Incidence.

Figure 14: Electric Shielding Effectiveness versus Angle of Incidence

Figure 15 Shows The Magnetic Shielding Effectiveness Verses Angle of Incidence. It Can Be Observed That The
Magnetic Shielding Effectiveness Decreases Continuously With The Angle of Incidence.

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10

G. Kameswari, P. V. Y. Jayasree & V. Gopi

Figure 15: Magnetic Shielding Effectiveness verses Angle of Incidence

CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, analysis was carried out with a very efficient analytical approach based on waveguide equivalent
circuit model to determine SE of rectangular box with numerous small apertures. The array of numerous apertures is
substituted with a proper equivalent admittance in the modified circuit model.
The calculation of electric and magnetic shielding depends on the frequency and applied fields polarization and
the enclosures dimensions and aperture(s), the quantity and position of the apertures within the enclosure. Though, the
further work is needed to characterize this factor for typical electronic equipment, the formulation will be of use to
designers of shielded enclosures.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank the management of GITAM University for all the support and encouragement rendered in this work.
We also extend our thanks to the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of GITAM University for providing the required facilities
for carrying out this work.

REFERENCES
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A. Boutar et al (2009) Transmission line model for shielding effectiveness estimation of a rectangular
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Robinson et al (1998) Analytical formulation for the shielding effectiveness of enclosures with apertures,
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M. Li et al (2000) EMI from cavity modes of shielding enclosures FDTD modeling and measurements.
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4.

S. Benhassine et al (2002) An efficient finite-element time-domain method for the analysis of the coupling
between wave and shielded enclosure IEEE transactions on electromagnetic compatibility, vol. 38, no.2,
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P. Argus et al (2000) Efficient modeling of apertures in thin conducting screens by the TLM method in proc.
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S. Tharf et al (1994) A hybrid finite element- Analytical solutions for in-homogeneously filled shielding

Impact Factor (JCC):4.9467

Index Copernicus Value (ICV): 3.0

11

Evaluation of Shielding Effectiveness of Rectangular Enclosure with Multiple Apertures Using Transmission Line Model

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Dehkhoda et al (2007) An efficient shielding effectiveness calculation (A rectangular enclosure with numerous
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Dehkhoda et al (2008) An efficient and reliable shielding effectiveness evaluation of a rectangular enclosure
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K.C. Gupta et al (1979) Micro strip lines and slotlines. Norwood, MA: Artech House, Chapter 7.

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