Infrared Transmission Measurements through Screening Smokes: Experimental Considerations,

Abstract

In order to evaluate the effect of tactical screening smokes on infrared transmission, it is necessary to understand the complex interactions among many variables. The transmission depends upon the bulk properties of the material (e.g., index of refraction), as well as the particle-size distribution, concentration, and pathlength. The measured or apparent transmission can be quite different from the true transmission because several simple basic facts are often overlooked. Therefore, it becomes quite difficult to compare data from different laboratories or from field tests because the experimental methodology is different at each location. In principle, it is possible to calculate the transmission of the smoke if the particle-size distribution, concentration, pathlength, and the complex index of refraction are known. But these parameters are not always known precisely, and one resorts to experimentation to define them. The experiment becomes that of introducing a smoke with unknown infrared properties between the target and the detector. The ratio of the signal received with smoke to that without smoke is taken as the transmission.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1980
Accession Number
ADA090404

Entities

People

  • Gerald C. Holst

Organizations

  • United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Automatic Gain Control
  • Broadband
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Equations
  • Field Tests
  • Frequency
  • Lasers
  • Measurement
  • Optical Properties
  • Particle Size
  • Particles
  • Refractive Index
  • Scattering
  • Spatial Distribution
  • Target Signatures

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Fire Suppression Systems Design.
  • Theoretical Analysis.