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298 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY, VOL. 30, NO. 3, AUGUST 1988
Electromagnetic Shielding Behavior of Wire-Mesh
-
Screens
A bstract-The electromagnetic shielding behavior of bonded-junction
wire-mesh screens is discussed in the frequency range where the individual
meshes are electrically small. The screen, whose meshes are assumed to be
square, is described by an equivalent sheet impedance operator. The
plane-wave shielding effectiveness of a planar mesh screen is derived. The
problem of coupling between antennas on either side of a planar mesh is
addressed, and its applicability to the measurement of mesh properties is
described. Finally, the low-frequency electric and magnetic shielding
afforded by mesh enclosures is considered. Because of the reactive
character of the mesh surface, the plane-wave shielding effectiveness
decreases with increasing frequency. The enclosure magnetic-field shield-
ing effectiveness increases with increasing frequency, but saturates at a
maximum value that depends on the geometry of the enclosure, the mesh
size, and the mesh wire radius. The enclosure electrostatic-field shielding
effectiveness depends only on the enclosure and mesh geometries.
Index Code--F9d/e.
I. INTRODUCTORY
REMARKS
IRE MESHES are potentially attractive for use as
electromagnetic shields because of their reduced weight
per unit area compared to metallic sheets. Their physical
flexibility would also make them convenient for use in
“retrofit” shielding applications for large facilities. It is
necessary, however, that their shielding performance be
quantified in terms of both ‘‘local’’ and “global” mesh-shield
descriptors. The local shield parameters are the individual
mesh dimensions and the radius and conductivity of the mesh
wires. The global parameters involve the size and shape of the
entire shield.
Considerable research has been conducted with respect to
the electromagnetic properties of both bonded and unbonded
wire meshes. An excellent summary has been given by Wait
[ 11. The behavior of bonded-junction meshes on the surface or
in the interior of a dielectric layer was considered by Casey
[ 2 ] , [ 3 ] , who also applied the resulting mesh model to the
problem of aperture shielding [4].
In this paper we consider the shielding behavior of mesh
screens wherein the individual meshes are square and of small
size in comparison to the free-space wavelength. We employ
an equivalent sheet-impedance dyadic operator to describe the
local behavior of the mesh, and explore a basic set of shielding
problems in order to quantify the behavior of planar shields
and of shielding enclosures made of mesh.
Because of its periodic structure, a mesh screen under the
influence of an electromagnetic field carries a reactive field
that is confined to the vicinity of the mesh surface. In the
Manscript received November 18, 1987.
The author is with JAYCOR, Fremont, CA 94538
IEEE Log Number 8821936.
OO18-9375/88/08OO-0298$01.OO
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situations considered here, where the individual meshes are
electrically small, the reactive field decays away from the
mesh surface as exp ( - a \z l/a,) where a, denotes the mesh
size and z is the coordinate normal to the mesh surface. Thus,
the effective thickness of the screen is of order 2a,, and its
electrical behavior is modified by objects or media within a
distance of order a, of the surface. We assume that the mesh
screen is at least this distance away from nearby objects or
media.
We begin in the following section by reviewing the
equivalent sheet-impedance model for the mesh. Then in
Section I11 we derive the plane-wave shielding effectiveness of
an infinitely extended planar mesh screen. We address the
problem of antenna coupling across the mesh screen in Section
IV. We obtain exact solutions for the fields produced by axial
magnetic and electric sources on one side of the sheet and
observed on the other side. We demonstrate that if the
transmitting and receiving antennas are at least a few
wavelengths apart at the frequency of interest, the transfer
function is essentially equal to the plane-wave transmission
coefficient at normal incidence. Finally, in Section V we
examine the shielding properties of enclosures made of mesh
in the low-frequency limit. The paper is summarized, and
further work is suggested, in Section VI.
11. SHEETIMPEDANCE OF WIREMESHSCREENS
DESCRIPTION
A wire-mesh screen with bonded junctions can be described
electromagnetically by an equivalent sheet impedance operator
zs when the mesh dimensions are small compared to wave-
length. The operator relates the “space-averaged” tangential
electric field Es to the space-averaged surface current density
on the screen J,, viz.
E, is continuous across the mesh surface. The mesh geometry
is shown in Fig. 1.
The equivalent sheet impedance for a screen with square
meshes of dimensions a, x a, is (the time dependence exp
Gat) is assumed and suppressed) [3]
where 2 ; is the internal impedance per unit length of the mesh
wires, ko = a& is the free-space wave number (pLoand E ( )
denote respectively the permeability and the permittivity of
free space), and V, denotes the surface del operator. 7 is the
idemfactor or identity dyadic and rf is a unit vector normal to
0 1988 IEEE
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CASEY. ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING BbHAVIOR OF SCREENS 299

where V: is the surface Laplacian operator.

The surface current density eigenvectors J, and j s 2corres-

I ponding to the eigenvalues Z,, and Z s 2 , respectively, satisfy

the conditions

v, . J,,=K1
T
2r W
n * VsxJs2=K2
(7a)
(7b)

where K I and K2 are scalar constants independent of position

on the surface. We choose K , = K2 = 0; thus from (7a) and
t-as-i the continuity equation
Fig. 1. Geometry of the wire mesh. The individual meshes are square and
the wire junctions are assumed to be bonded. v J,+jwp,=O (8)

the surface occupied by the mesh. The sheet inductance we obtain

parameter L, is given by v, . J,I = o
LS- PO a s
-- In (1-,-2"rw/oS)-l
(3) V, ' JS2=
-jup, (9b)
27r

where r , is the radius of the mesh wires. The internal where ps is the space-averaged charge density in the mesh
impedance per unit length Zk is surface. The surface current density eigenvector jsI and its
associated eigenvalue Z,, evidently correspond to fields that
G Z 0 ( G , ) are not dependent on the surface charge density; such fields
Zk=Rb (4) are transverse-electric (TE) with respect to the direction
211 (Gw) normal to the mesh surface.
where R ,'+= ( ~ ro tw ) I is the dc resistance per unit length of
-
It is readily shown from Faraday's Law that
the mesh wires, 7 w = p , u w r t is the diffusion time constant,
and I , , ( - ) denotes the modified Bessel function of the first kind n . V,XEs= -jw/.Lon . H. (10)
of order n. u, and p, denote respectively the conductivity and
the permeability of the wire material. Let E, = Z,, I,] + Z,21s2. Then from (10) and (7b) we obtain
The parameter t?, is equal to one-half the sum of the relative jwP.0 - -
permittivities of the media on either side of the mesh, where it n V S x J s 1 = --n .H ( 1 la)
Z:
is assumed that these media extend at least a distance a, from
the mesh surface. Thus Cr = 1 if the mesh is in free space and n * v,xjs2=0 (1 lb)
C, = E , if the mesh is embedded in a dielectric layer of relative
permittivity E , . If the mesh lies in the interface between a whence it is evident that the eigenvalue Zs2and its associated
dielectric layer and free space, then gr = (1 + ~ , ) / 2 . surface current density eigenvector JS2 correspond to fields
Let the mesh occupy the surface z = 0. Then 2, can be that are transverse-magnetic (TM) with respect to the direction
written in matrix form as normal to the surface.
~~ ___- ~

-
-
z, =

where we have used Cartesian coordinates x and y to describe 111. PLANE-WAVE

SHIELDING OF PLANAR
EFFECTIVENESS MESH
the position in the plane of the mesh. Evaluating the SCREENS
eigenvalues of this matrix, we find It was noted in the preceding section that the eigenvalues Z,,
and Zs2 of the sheet-impedance dyadic that describes the mesh
Z,,=Z;a,+joL, Z, (6a) correspond to fields that are respectively TE and TM with
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300 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY, VOL. 30, NO. 3. AUGUST 1988

respect to the direction normal to the screen. The plane-wave (inc) (ref)
reflection and transmission problem wherein the electric field I /
is perpendicular to the plane of incidence involves a TE field,
and the problem in which the field is polarized parallel to the
plane of incidence involves a TM field. Thus, in order to
evaluate the effectiveness of a planar mesh screen as a shield
against an incident plane wave, we need only evaluate the
transmission coefficients for the two wave polarizations, using
the sheet-impedance eigenvalue appropriate for each case.
The geometry of the plane-wave reflection and transmission
kTZE
problem is shown in Fig. 2. The effective sheet impedance for Fig. 2. Geometry of the plane-wave reflection and transmission problems:
perpendicularly polarized plane waves is Z,, = 2,. The (a) perpendicular polarization; (b) parallel polarization.
analysis for the reflection and transmission coefficients is
elementary and yields
80
1

2(zS1/2,,) cos e
TI =
1 + 2 ( 2 , ] / 2 0 ) cos e
where 0 is the angle of incidence with respect to the direction
normal to the mesh and Zo = a
is the intrinsic impedance
of free space.
The effective sheet impedance for parallel-polarized plane
waves is Zs2,which we express for a mesh in free space (Cr =
1) as
2WL,/ZO

jwL, Fig. 3. Plane-wave shielding effectiveness SE, for a lossless plane screen as
Z,, = 2, - sin2 8.
~
a function of normalized frequency 2wL,/Z0 for 0 = O " , 4 5 " , 60". and 75"
2
The reflection and transmission coefficients for this polariza-
tion are easily shown to be The factor 20L,/Z0 is equal to

Curves of SE1,2(0) as functions of 2wL,/Z0 for various values

Define the plane-wave shielding effectiveness SE1,2(0)as
In the case where the mesh wires are perfectly conducting, we
have
of 8 are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Note that SEI increases as 0 is
increased, but SE2 decreases with increasing 8. Both functions
decrease as the frequency increases because of the inductively
reactive character of the sheet impedance. The "break
frequency" is 2wL,/Z0 = 1 at normal incidence.
W e may define a polarization-independent shielding effec-
tiveness SEo(8) as

(2oL,/Zo) cos e
SEI ( e ) = - 20 loglo (1 6 4
./I + (2w~,/z,,)2 cos2 e This function is based on the assumption that the incident wave
is randomly polarized. Curves of SEo(8) as a function of
2wL,/Z0 for various values of 0 are shown in Fig. 5. At
normal incidence, SEo = SEI = SE2, and as 0 is increased,
SE, first increases and then decreases. Its dependence on 6 is
somewhat weaker than that of SE1 or SE2. It may thus be a
more practically useful measure of plane-wave shielding
I effectiveness than either SEI or SE2.
The results that have been presented above were based on
the assumption that the mesh wires were perfectly conducting.
When finite conductivity is ascribed to the mesh wires, the
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CASEY: ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING BEHAVIOR OF SCREENS 30 1

eo r--- , -- 80

I
I

6o k

0.001 0.010 0.100 1.000 10.00 0.001 0.010 0.100 1.000 10.00

2WL,/Zo 2R,/Z,
Fig. 4. Plane-wave shielding effectiveness SE, for a lossless plane screen as Fig. 6. Low-frequency limiting behavior of SE, for a resistive screen as a
a function of normalized frequency 20L,/Z0 for 8 = O", 60", and 75". function of 2R,/Zo for 0 = O", 45",and 75".

MESH S U R F A C E ( z = O )
/

OBSERVATION POINT
AXIAL S O U R C E
DIPOLE
-
+h-

Fig. 7. Geometry of the antenna-coupling problem. The source is an

0.001 0010 0.100 1.000 10.00 electric or magnetic dipole oriented normal to the mesh surface at a distance
2&Jz, h away from it. The axial field is observed on the dipole axis on the other
side of the mesh.
Fig. 5 . Plane-wave shielding effectiveness SEo for a lossless plane screen as
a function of normalized frequency 2wL,/Z0 for 0 = 0", 45 ', and 75'. maximum value is approximately

shielding effectiveness reaches an upper limit as the frequency

is decreased. The limits are

(2R,/Zo) COS 8 for angles of incidence near 0 = 0.

lim SEI(0) = - 20 log,, (194 Consider as an example an aluminum wire mesh with a, =
W-0 (2R,/Zo) COS 0 + 1 1 cm and rw = 0.5 mm. Thenf,,,, = w,,,,/(~T) 20 kHz and =
the maximum shielding effectiveness at normal incidence is
2R,/Zo
lim SE2(0)= - 20 log,, 115 dB. The shielding effectiveness is very small at frequen-
W-0 2R,/Zo + COS 0 cies above about 11 GHz, but the assumption that the mesh
size is small in comparison to the wavelength begins to break
lim SEo(B)= - 10 loglo
W-10
(2R,/Zo) cos 0
1 2
down at this frequency.
IV. ANTENNA
COUPLING A PLANAR
THROUGH MESHS C R E ~ N

]*I
where
is the equivalent dc sheet resistance of the wire mesh. The low-
frequency value of SE, as a function of 2R,/Zo is shown for
various values of 0 in Fig. 6. The frequency below which the
shielding effectiveness is essentially constant and equal to its
(19c)
In this section we apply an antenna-coupling technique
discussed by Franceschetti and Papas [ 5 ] and others [6]-[8] for
measurement of the shielding properties of planar shields to
the problem of measuring the properties of a wire-mesh shield.
Specifically, we consider an electric or magnetic dipole
oriented normal to the shield surface on one side of the shield,
and we evaluate the axial electric or magnetic field on the
other side. We then form the ratio of the axial field observed in
the presence of the shield to that in the shield's absence, and
relate this ratio to the plane-wave transmission coefficient for
normal incidence on the shield. The geometry is shown in Fig.
7.
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302 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY, VOL. 30, NO. 3, AUGUST 1988

A . TE Excitation (Magnetic Dipole) axis (p = 0) for z > 0. We have

A small electric-current loop of magnetic dipole moment pm
= pmdzis located at 2 = - h. The mesh screen occupies the
surface 2 = 0. The electromagnetic field is transverse-electric
with respect to z and independent of the azimuthal coordinate
$. The components of the field can be expressed in terms of a
scalar function a, which satisfies the scalar Helmholtz V k : - A'
equation, by
Introduce the change of variable u = 41 - (X/ko)2.The

E,=-
a+ integration path in the complex u-plane runs from u = 1 to u
= 0 along the positive real axis, and thence to u = - j m
aP
along the negative imaginary axis. The integrand has a simple
H,=-
1
-
ala pole at u = - 1/(22,), in the second quadrant of the u-plane
for r, = Re (2,) > 0, o > 0. Since the integrand vanishes at
j k o Z oa p a z
infinity in the lower half plane, the integration path can be
deformed to run directly from u = 1 to u = 1 - j m . The pole
at u = - 1/(2zs)is not crossed in this process, so we obtain

k$m
The surface current density 1,in the mesh will be $-directed
and independent of $. Since for this polarization V,.J, = 0,
~ ~ (z)=-
0 ,
47r
e-jko(z+h) jrn(2jx+X2)e-ko~z+h)
0

the mesh boundary condition is simply ( x + j ) dx

. (28)
E+(z = 0) = ZsJs+= Zs[H,(z =0 + ) - H,(z 0 - ) ] . (23) x+j (1 +$)
The scalar function can be expressed in terms of Fourier-
Bessel integrals as follows: This integral can be evaluated to yield

is the exponential integral function

. e-j J 2 5
ko-A ( z + h ) -
hdh
dqx2
where J o ( . ) denotes the Bessel function of order zero and
T I @ )is to be determined. The expressions given above for If the mesh were absent, the field Hz@,z ) would equal the
that E+ is continuous at = 0. Proper behavior as I I field of the source dipole alone. This primary field is obtained
-+ 03 is obtained when the Sauare root of kz - A 2 is chosen by setting TI(0) = 1 and X O = 1 in (29) above; the result is
such that Re d ' m L 0,'Im Jk-5 0. iL. " r 1 1
Applying the ioundary condition (23), we readily obtain H,(O, z )= J'WYm e-iko(z+h)1 1 +
27r(z+h)2
The ratio of the field transmitted through the mesh to the
(25) primary field is thus

where zs = Z,/Zo. Writing h = ko sin 4 , we have

22, cos t where
TI( ko sin 4 ) = (26)
1 + 22, cos 4
n l ( a ; x o ) = ( l + ; ) - ~ [1+7 XO
whence it is evident that T I @ )is simply the transmission JQI
coefficient for perpendicularly polarized plane waves, ex-
pressed in terms of the spectral variable X.
Now evaluate the transmitted axial magnetic field on the z-
1
- - jaxo(xo- l)(xO- 2 ) f ( j a x o )
2 I (33)
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CASEY. ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING BEHAVIOR OF SCREENS 303

with
n ' ' '
- 1 1 - 7 - I
I
1
f(u)=ue"E,(u)-l+-. (34)
U

As Ij a x , 1 becomes large, 0,(a;x,) reduces to

and as j a x ,
-+ 0, Q l 1 / T ,(0). Evidently the ratio H,(O, z ) /
+

HzP(O,z ) is essentially equal to the plane-wave transmission

I
coefficient at normal incidence when the distance between the 0.0' h ' ' '
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
transmitting antenna and the field point is at least a few a
wavelengths at the frequency of interest. Curves of the Fig. 8. Magnitude of Q , ( a ;xo)as a function of normalized frequency a lor
magnitude of Q, as a function of a are shown in Fig. 8 for a a lossless mesh ( TE case); p = 0, 0.01, and 0.1.
lossless mesh ( Z , = jwL,), for various values of the
parameter
boundary condition (38), making use of the fact that

B. TM Excitation (Electric Dipole)

yields for T2(X)
When the source at z = - h is an axially directed electric
dipole of moment p e = pea,, the electromagnetic field is
transverse-magnetic with respect to z. Its components are
T2(h)= . (41)
a*
H4= -- (374
aP
Now
(37b)
22,- j w l , sin2 [
T z ( k osin [ ) = (42)
cos ~ + 2 z s - j w l ssin? 4
(37c)
where 1, = L,/Zo; it is evident that T2(h)is the transmission
coefficient for parallel-polarized plane waves expressed in
where I satisfies the scalar Helmholtz equation. The surface
terms of the spectral
current density in the mesh is radially directed, and the mesh
The evaluation of the transmitted field on the Z-axis for
boundary condition is expressed for a mesh in free space (tr =
> 0 is carried out as for the TE case considered earlier. First
1) as
introduce the change of variable u = 41 - (X/ko)2,with the
integration path in the complex u-plane running from u = 1 to
jwL, d
E,(Z=o)=zsJ~,+- -
2 k i dp
The scalar function I is given by
[bl 1
- - (PJ,,) . (38) u = 0 along the positive real axis and thence to u = - j m
along the negative imaginary axis. Poles of the integrand are
located at

u1,2= --
2jw1,
[I *J(ZL,] jwL
(43)

Xdh
+ [ l - T 2 ( X ) ] eJJk o - h
2 7
(z-h) I- q (39a) and the integration path is indented into the fourth quadrant to
x 2
avoid the pole near the negative imaginary axis. Then deform
the integration path to run directly from u = 1 to u = 1 + j m
to obtain

where T2(X)is to be determined. These expressions for I

ensure that E, is continuous at z = 0. Application of the mesh
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304 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY, VOL. 30. NO. 3, AUGUST 1988

The integral can be evaluated after expressing the factor in

square brackets as a partial-fraction expansion. The primary
25
axial electric field of the source dipole is
20

15

and the ratio of the field transmitted through the screen to the
10
primary field is obtained as

00-' '
where T2(0)= Tl(0) = 2z,/(1 + 22,) and x 1 , 2= 1 - u~,~.
0 2 4 6 8 10
a
12 14 16 18 20

The function Qz is given by Fig. 9. Magnitude of f12(cx; x , , x2) as a function of normalized frequency (Y

for a lossless mesh (TM case); p = 0, 0.01, and 0.1.

or equivalently

Vs * (flZ-Al)=--
JOPo -
n
.
(51)
Z S

where H , and H2 denote the magnetic field on either side of

the screen surface and the unit normal A is oriented positive in
- (1 - x2)(2- ~ 2 ) f ( j a x ~ ) I (47) the direction from side 1 to side 2. Furthermore, the normal
component of the magnetic field f i * A is continuous through
where f(.)is given in (34). As IjaxlI and IjaxzI become
the mesh surface.
large,
In the quasi-static limit, the magnetic field in a current-free
region can be calculated from the magnetic scalar potential V ,
via

A= - V V , (52)
+j a ( x l x 2- 4x 1- xz + 2) + e - + ] (48)
where V, satisfies Laplace's equation. Equation (51) is thus
so that, as in the TE case considered earlier, the ratio E,(O, z ) / written in terms of V, as
Ezp(O,z ) is essentially equal to the transmission coefficient for
plane waves at normal incidence, if the transmitting antenna
and the field observation point are separated by at least a few (53)
wavelengths at the frequency of interest. Curves of the
magnitude of Q2 as a function of CY are shown in Fig. 9 for a where a V , / a n is continuous through the mesh surface. This
lossless mesh, for various values of the parameter p defined in condition is necessary but not sufficient; an additional condi-
(36). tion on V,, - Vml is required to specify this quantity
completely. We saw in Section I1 that the surface current
V. ENCLOSURE AT LOWFREQUENCIES
SHIELDING
density eigenvector jsl satisfies the condition (50) from which
In this section we consider the electrostatic-field and the (51) was obtained. The additional condition that is required to
quasi-magnetostatic field shielding that is afforded by enclo- specify V,, - V,, uniquely is therefore that the surface
sures made of mesh. We begin by developing the mesh current density derived from V, must satisfy V;~, = 0
boundary conditions in the low-frequency limit. everywhere in the surface.
Substituting the continuity equation ( 8 ) into ( 2 ) yields In the electrostatic limit, Is = 0 and the electric field can be
obtained from a scalar potential V via
- Ls
E,=Z,J,+- VSP,. (49)
2 PO EO i E= -vv (54)
A boundary condition involving only the magnetic field is
obtained from (49) by taking the surface curl (V, X ) of both
where V satisfies Laplace's equation. Setting J, = 0 and
substituting (54) into (49) yields
sides and then using (10).We obtain

n.V,xJ,=--n.
- jOP0
Z S
H
-
(50) vs
( 3= o
V+-p, (55)
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CASEY: ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING BEHAVIOR OF SCREENS
from which we immediately obtain
It?
v- v,= -- ps
EO
where Vois a constant equal to the potential of the mesh wires
and I, is an equivalent length defined by
l e = + =L- a, In (1 -e-2nrw/us)-l. (57)
2p& 4aff
Since the tangential components of the electric field must be
continuous across the mesh surface, we also require that V be
continuous there.
If the mesh is embedded in a thin dielectric layer, it may be
convenient to consider only the fields outside the layer.
Assuming that the surrounding medium is free space, we can
readily show that the appropriate boundary condition is
where tr in 1, now denotes the permittivity of the layer.
A . Quasi-Static Magnetic Field Shielding
The canonical shielding geometries which we shall consider
are shown in Fig. 10. We assume in each case that the mesh
dimensions are small compared to the linear dimensions of the
enclosure. Define the magnetic-field shielding transfer func-
tion as [9]
magnetic field in the shielded region
T,(j4 = * (59)
magnetic field in the absence of the shield
The interior magnetic field is uniform and parallel to the
applied uniform field in each case. .The boundary-value
problems from which the interior magnetic fields are obtained
are elementary and yield the following result:
where
n = 1 for the parallel-mesh geometry
n = 2 for the cylindrical geometries
n = 3 for the spherical geometry.
Noting that the quantity a / n is simply the volume-to-surface
ratio for each of the shielding enclosures, we have
where V, and S, denote the volume and the surface area of the
enclosure, respectively.
Now assume that the mesh wires are sufficiently thin that
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305
a
i;
(C)
Fig. 10. Enclosure shielding geometries: (a) parallel meshes, with H,,
parallel and Eo perpendicular to the meshes; (b) spherical mesh; (c)
cylindrical mesh with Ho parallel to the cylinder axis; (d) cylindfical mesh
with Eo and Po perpendicular to the cylinder axis. Eo and HC are the
external applied fields, and E, and H , are the interior fields.
Zka, E R, and write T,(jw) in the form
R,+jwL,
R , +j w L,
-
I
(62)
R, +J’wpo V J S ,
where the approximation is a consequence of the assumption
that the mesh size a, is small compared to the linear
dimensions of the enclosure. Define rs = L,/R,, a time
constant characteristic of the mesh and re = po V e / ( S p R y a) ,
time constant characteristic of the enclosure, with rcJ%- 7,.
Then
1+ j a r ,
T, ( j w )= -
1 +j w r ,
and we see that T,( j 0 ) = 1, T,(jw) = r,/r,; and I T,(jw)l
decreases at 20 dB per decade over the range 1/r, 5 w 5 1/
7,.
We define an enclosure magnetic-field shielding effective-
ness SE, as
SE, is essentially zero at frequencies below w = 117, and
essentially constant at the value 20 log,o(r,/r,) at frequencies
above w = l/r,. Between these two frequencies, SE,,,
increases at 20 dB per decade.
We conclude this discussion with a numerical example.
Consider a roughly spherical enclosure with V, = 1 m 3 (a =
62 cm) made of an aluminum wire mesh with a, = 1 cm and r,+
= 0.5 mm. We find r, = 7 . 8 p s and r, = 780 p s . The
frequency below which the shielding is ineffective is thus
about 200 Hz, and the frequency above which it is a maximum
is about 20 kHz. The maximum shielding effectiveness is 40
dB .
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306 IEEE TRANSACTIC)NS ON ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY, VOL. 30, NO. 3, AUGUST 1988

B. Electrostatic Field Shielding 2) the relationship between the plane-wave shielding effec-
Define the electrostatic-field shielding transfer function T, tiveness at normal incidence and the fields produced by point
as sources at finite distances from the screen; and
3) the low-frequency electric and magnetic shielding behav-
electrostatic field in the shielded region ior of mesh enclosures.
T, = (65) These results should form the basis for further theoretical and
electrostatic field in the absence of the shield
experimental investigations of the shielding behavior and the
As in the magnetic-field case, the boundary-value problems potential practical utility of mesh shields, particularly in
for evaluating T, are elementary. The interior field is uniform applications where the relatively light weight and the flexibil-
and parallel to the applied field. When Vo = 0 (that is, when ity of a mesh shield would be advantageous.
the mesh wires are at zero potential), the result for T, is An important feature of a mesh screen is its “high-pass” or
differentiating characteristic. It was noted in Section I11 that
T,= (1 +); -’ the plane-wave shielding effectiveness of a planar mesh screen
tended to decrease with increasing frequency. This behavior
contrasts sharply with that of a solid metallic screen, whose
where as before, n = 1 for parallel meshes, n = 2 for a
shielding effectiveness increases with frequency. When the
cylindrical mesh, and n = 3 for the spherical mesh. Thus
mesh is used to form an enclosure, the enclosure shielding
when Vo = 0, we have
effectiveness tends to increase with frequency, but saturates at
a maximum value when the differentiating effect of the screen
is balanced by the integrating effect of the enclosure. This
behavior also differs sharply from that which would be
In the parallel-mesh geometry, a potential difference 2 VO observed in a solid-shield enclosure. The fundamental differ-
can be applied between the two meshes. The electric-field ences between the behavior of solid and mesh screens, and the

+s)
transfer function is then impact of these differences on practical shielding problems,
need to be investigated further.
T,= (1 +:) -’ (1 Penetrations through mesh shields will also be important.
Some penetrations are necessary to the function of most
shielded systems, and the analysis of aperture and line
whence it is evident that application of the proper potential to
penetrations through mesh shields should be carried out. Study
the mesh wires can provide complete electrostatic shielding.
of these and other issues relating to mesh shields will provide a
The value of Vofor which this occurs is simply
body of knowledge that will be useful in assessing the potential
utility of mesh shields in practical applications.

We conclude with an example. Consider the same spherical REFERENCES

enclosure as before (a = 62 cm, a, = 1 cm, rw = 0.5 mm)
and assume that the mesh is embedded in a layer of
polystyrene ( e r = 2.56). Then we readily obtain T, = 2 X
10- 3; the electrostatic shielding effectiveness SE,, defined as
SE, = - 20 log T,
is equal to 54 dB. If the mesh were not embedded in the
dielectric layer, T, would be 5 x and the electrostatic
shielding effectiveness would be 46 dB.
REMARKS
VI. CONCLUDING
We have considered a variety of topics relevant to the
understanding of the electromagnetic shielding behavior of
bonded-junction wire mesh screens in the frequency range
where the individual meshes are electrically small and an
equivalent sheet impedance description is appropriate. While
we have only scratched the surface of this potentially rich
research area, we have been able to establish some basic
results, viz.
1) the plane-wave shielding effectiveness of a planar mesh
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