An Efficient Geodesic Path Solution for Prolate Spheroids
Abstract
A major task in the application of the geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) to the problem of electromagnetic radiation from a general convex surface is to determine the unique geodesic path that starting from the source location traverses the surface and has a tangent at some point along the path which in the desired radiation direction. In this report a numerically efficient and accurate scheme has been developed for solving this problem in the case of a general convex surface of revolution. The surface of revolution is of interest in that it provides an analytic model for the aircraft fuselage structure. A computer program is also developed to solve the governing nonlinear equation using the secant method for iteration. This method is proved to be simple and converges to the accurate results in just a few steps. Numerical results for the family of geodesic curves are also presented for the cases of sphere, prolate spheroid and cylinder.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA115063
Entities
People
- Nan Wang
- Walter Dennis Burnside
Organizations
- Ohio State University