Ijetae 0213 14

International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2013)
91

Simulation of Electromagnetic Field Distribution in Metallic
Waveguides Using Open Source Finite Element Software
Ndagije Charles
1
, Geuzaine Christophe
2
1
Faculty of applied sciences, National University of Rwanda, P.O. Box 117 Butare (Rwanda).
2
University of Lige, Institut Montefiore (B28), B-4000 Lige (Belgium)
Abstract- Computer simulations and modeling of physical
processes can play an important role in teaching engineering
courses, in particular for difficult courses like electromagnetic
and microwave engineering. In this paper we analyze the
mode distribution in metallic waveguides by using open
source finite element software from the OneLab project:
Gmsh and GetDP. The resulting fully parameterized finite
element models have been used in teaching the course of
microwave communication at the National University of
Rwanda and have played an important role to facilitate the
students understanding of the course.
Keywords- Maxwells equations, waveguide, finite element
method, electromagnetic field, weak formulation, discrete
formulation, Galerkin Method.
I. INTRODUCTION
Many universities, especially those in developing
countries, suffer from the lack of (often expensive)
laboratory equipment for conducting practical courses on
important engineering topics, like electromagnetic and
microwave engineering. One way to improve the manner
those courses are taught is to use simulation techniques.
Modeling and simulation can help students to better
understand such courses without using hardware
equipment. In addition, successful modeling and simulation
requires a very good understanding of the subject, some
mathematical knowledge and computer skills which all
contribute to the overall training of engineering students.
Many physical phenomena and processes can be described
by differential equations that are often hard or impossible
to solve analytically, which complicates their analysis. In
this paper we propose to set up parametric finite element
models to compute the distribution of electromagnetic
fields in metallic waveguides. Such metallic waveguide are
widely used in telecommunication for ultrahigh and super
high frequencies. Modeling such waveguides requires the
solution of Maxwells equations, which can be obtained
numerically by using the finite element method [11].

We propose to evaluate both the time-dependent and
time-harmonic solution of Maxwells equations in these
waveguides, as well as the eigenvalues which are in our
case the operating frequencies for a considered mode.
The main advantages of using the finite element method for
analyzing the wave propagation in the waveguides is that it
makes it easy to determine the operating frequency for
arbitrary geometries, while by using analytical methods it is
only possible to determine the critical frequency and the
condition for which the wave can be able to propagate for
simple geometrical configurations.
In the context of engineering courses such numerical
simulations can help to clearly display wave patterns and
other relevant physical quantities (e.g. S matrix) without
using laboratory equipment. In addition, by building fully
parameterized models (where the dimensions, materials,
operating frequency, , can be changed interactively) the
simulations can help to understand experimental
measurements and to design new applications.
The results of this work have been used in teaching the
course of microwave communication at the National
University of Rwanda in 2010 and 2011 to the population
of about 50 students. The developed parametric models
helped the students to easily understand that by changing
the parameters of the wave guide the operating frequencies
are also changing as well as the distributions of
corresponding modes in waveguide.
All the models were prepared using the open source
finite element tools from the OneLab project, in particular
the GetDP and Gmsh codes developed by the team of
Professor Christophe Geuzaine at the University of Lige
in Belgium [1]. Since the software tools are freely available
on the internet, both students and Faculty can use them
without restrictions.
II. MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM
The distribution of electromagnetic fields in metallic
waveguides is described by Maxwells equations with
appropriate boundary conditions.

92

Let start by analyzing simple rectangular waveguide
invariant along the Z axis (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Geometric representation of a metallic rectangular
waveguide
Maxwells equations in linear media read:
. ,
. 0,
(1)
,
,

E
B
H
E
t
E
H j
t
c
V =
V =
c
V =
c
c
V = +
c

Where E

is the electrical field intensity , is the
electrical charge density, B is magnetic flux density, is
the permeability of the medium, H is the magnetic field
intensity, j is the conduction current density, c is the
permittivity of the medium. If the considered medium is the
air, the permittivity becomes
0
c , and the permeability
becomes
0
,where
12
8, 854.10 /
0
farad m c

= and
7
4 .10 /
0
henry m t

= .
By using the properties of vector analysis the system (1)
of first order partial differential equations (PDEs) can be
rewritten as the following second order equation:

2
0 0 0 2
E dj
E
dt
t
c
c
VV + =
c
(2)
In general the current density j
is a function of time
and space. In the cases that we are going to treat next we
will assume that the metallic surfaces of the waveguide are
perfect conductors; j

will thus represent only a source of
the electromagnetic waves. The electrical field E
must
satisfy the boundary conditions, i.e., its tangential
components must be equal to zero on the waveguide
surfaces, meaning that the following condition has to be
satisfied [5]:
0 n E = , where n
is the outgoing unit normal vector.

For effective transmission of information in waveguide
it is very important to know if the transmission channel is
adequate referring to the frequency to transmit. In order to
know which waves (modes) are able to propagate through a
given wave guide, we need to compute the
eigenfrequencies [ ] f Hz

of the guide. This problem can be
solved by using finite element method.
III. FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
The finite element method is a computational technique
which can help to approximate solutions to PDEs
encountered in scientific and engineering applications [10].
With the finite element method the solution of PDEs is
found by following different steps. The first step is the
preprocessing which includes the definition of the
geometric domain of the problem, the definition of
elements type to use for domain discretization, the
definition of material properties of the elements, and the
definition of the physical constraints. The second step is the
solution phase. During this step the finite element software
assembles the governing algebraic equations in matrix form
and computes the unknown values. This step requires the
discrete formulation of the problem through the weak
formulation of the problem (see section 5). For the discrete
formulation of the problem we used the Galerkin method
[10], [7] as implemented in the open source software
GetDP [2].
The last step of finite element method is the post
processing which is focused on analysis and evaluation of
the solution results. In this study this step was carried out
by using the Gmsh open source software [1].
The next figure represents the discretization of the
domain of resolution which is the cross section of the
waveguide.
X
Y
Z
b
a

93

Figure 2. Discretized cross section of the waveguide
IV. WEAK FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM
For the weak formulation of the problem, we used the
method of weighted residual [10]. According to this
method, instead of solving (2) directly, we look for E

such that
2
. 0 (3)
0 0 0 2
E j
E U d
t
t
c
(
(
(
(
]
c c
VV + + O =
c
c
O
| |
|
\ .
holds
for appropriately chosen weight functions U . By using
the properties of vector analysis the equation (4) can be
rewritten as follows:
2
.( ) . .
0 0 2
. 0 (4)
0
E
U A d U A d U d
t
j
U d
t
c
(
(
(
(
(
(
( (
( ]
]
(
(
(
]
c
V O+ V O+ O
O c
O
O
c
+ O =
c
O
}

Where A E = V . The expression (5) becomes
}
(5) 0 .
. ) ( ). ( ) ( ). (
0
2
2
0 0
= O
(
]
(
c
c
+
O
(
(
]
(
(
]
(
c
c
+ O V V + O c
O
O
O
O c
d U
t
j
d U
t
E
d U E d n A U
c

To get the expression (6), it was considered that
( ) ( ) .( ) ( ) (6) U A n d U n A d cO = cO
}
cO cO
}

Where O c is a curve delimiting the surface O.
The term .( ) ( ) 0 A n U d cO =
cO
}
, because it is
necessary to chose the weight function which also satisfies
the boundary conditions such that 0 n U = .
Finally the integral in (4) can be written as follows:
. (7) 0 . . ) ( ). (
0 2
2
0 0
= O
(
]
(
c
c
+ O
(
]
(
(
]
(
c
c
+ O V V
O
O
O
d U
t
i
d U
t
E
d U E

c

This expression represents the weak formulation of the
problem.
V. DISCRETE FORMULATION OF THE PROBLEM
The discrete formulation consists in approximating the
electric field E using a finite number of shape functions
(basis functions) W
j
:

1
(8) .
N
E C W
j j
j
=
=

The GetDP code uses co-called Whitney edge elements
to approximate the electric field. In this case, the functions
W
j
have continuous tangential components across
element borders, but discontinuous normal components and
the coefficients C
j
are the circulations of E along each
edge of the mesh. N is the total number of edges in the
mesh. By using the Galerkin method, the weight functions
U are chosen identical to has the shape functions, i.e.,
, 1, 2, 3,... (9)
k
U W k N = = .

Introducing (9) and (10) into (7) leads to a system of N
linear equations:
2
.
0 0 2
1 1
0
0
j
N N
W
j k k
C Curl W Curl W d C W d
j j
j j
t
j
k
W d
t
c
(
(
(
(
]
(
(
(
]
c
O+ O
= = O c
O
c
+ O =
c
O
}

or
a
b
x
y

94

}
(10)
0 2 0 0
.
1
O
(
]
(
O
c
c
=
(
(
(
(
]
(
O
O
c
c
+ O
O
=
d
k
W
t
j
d
k
W
t
i
W
d
i
W Curl
k
W Curl
N
i
i
C

c

The expression (10) is the discrete formulation of the
problem. In this equation the unknowns are the values
j
C
The numerical resolution aims to find those values. Once
they are found the electrical field E
can be obtain by
using the expression (8).
VI. NUMERICAL SOLUTION
We tested the method by solving the following
eigenvalue problem derived from (10) with a zero source
current:
}
(11)
1
0
2
0 0
=
= O
O
O
}
O
(
N
j
d
k
W
j
W d
k
W Curl
j
W Curl
j
C

e c

Where e is the angular frequency ( 2 f e t = ).
We first tested the case of TM-modes in 2D where we
considered that E
z
is normal to the domain of study. For
the second case, we considered the TE-modes, where the
component H
z
is normal to the 2D domain of study. The
two considered modes differ by their boundary conditions.
For TM-mode we used homogeneous Dirichlet boundary
condition while for TE-mode we used the Neuman
boundary condition.
A. TM- Modes
Table 1 shows that the values of critical frequency found
by using finite element method is almost identical to that
found by using the following analytical formula:
2 2
(12)
2
c m n
f
c
a b
= +
| | | |
| |
\ . \ .

Where c is the speed of electromagnetic wave in free
space, m the number of the half wavelength along the
width a , and n the number of the half wavelength along
the height b.

TABLE I
COMPARISON OF CRITICAL FREQUENCY WITH
EIGENFREQUENCY IN CASE OF TM-MODE

Mode type
Eigenfrequency f
(Hz)
Critical frequency
c
f
(Hz)
11
TM
1.677e+9 1.677e+9
21
TM
2.121e+9 2.121e+9
31
TM
2.704e+9 2.704e+9
12
TM
3.0927e+9 3.092e+9
13
TM
4.563e+9 4.562e+9
41
TM
3.355e+9 3.354e+9
32
TM

3.751e+9 3.75e+9
51
TM
4.0397e+9 4.039e+9
42
TM
4.244e+9 4.243e+9
13
TM

4.567 e+9 4.562 e+9

The electromagnetic wave will be able to propagate in a
given waveguide only if its frequency is greater than or
equal to the critical frequency. In the TM- case, the mode
for which 0 mn = does not exist.
For numerical solutions, we used 0.2[ ] a m = and
0.1[ ] b m = . Figures 3.1-3.8 show the norm of the electric
field for the first few TM-modes. The numbers n and m
are both different from zero.

Figure 3.1: Norm of TM11-mode in the cross section of the waveguide.

95

Figure3.2: Norm of TM21-mode in the cross section of the waveguide.

Figure 3.3: Norm of TM31-mode in the cross section of the waveguide




Figure3.7: Norm of TM42-mode in the cross section of the waveguide

96

Figure 3.9 illustrates the pattern of the vector field H .

Figure 3.9: Representation of H for TM11-mode
B: TE-Modes
The distribution of the electrical field for TE-modes in
the cross section is found in a similar way , but by solving
the following equations
2
0
0 0 2
(13)
0
, 1
0
H
H
t
i H
z
E
x
y
c
i H
z
E i
x
x
c
c
e c
e c
c
VV + =
c
c
=
c
c
= =
c

instead of (2).

Table 2 compares the numerically obtained eigenvalues
with the analytical critical frequencies for the first few
modes. The two lowest critical frequencies are
10
TE and
20
TE .
TABLE II
COMPARISON OF CRITICAL FREQUENCY WITH THE
EIGENFREQUENCY FOR THE CASE OF TE-MODES

Mode type
Eigenfrequency f
(Hz)
Critical frequency
c
f
(Hz)
10
TE
7.504e+8 7.5e+8
01
TE
1.5027e+9 1.5e+9
20
TE

1.5016e+9 1.5 e+9
11
TE
1.678e+9 1.677e+9
21
TE
2.125e+9 2.121e+9
30
TE
2.255e+9 2.25e+9
31
TE

2.715 e+9 2.704e+9
40
TE

3.0022e+9 3 e+9

Figures 4.1-4.8 show the norm of the magnetic field for
the first few TE-modes.

Figure 4.1: Norm of TE10-mode in the cross section of the waveguide

97

Figure4.2: Norm of TE20-mode in the cross section of the waveguide

Fig4.3: Norm of TE01-mode in the cross section of the waveguide

Fig4.4: Norm of TE11-mode in the cross section of the waveguide




98

Figure 4.9 illustrates the pattern of the vector field E
.

Figure 4.9: Representation of E
for TE10-mode
VII. CONCLUSION
In this study the distribution of electromagnetic fields in
the cross section of metallic rectangular waveguides has
been described and simulated, by using the finite element
method.
The found results were applied during the teaching of
the course of microwave communication in third year
electronics and communication systems at National
University of Rwanda.

It was demonstrated that the simulation techniques can
facilitate the better understanding of engineering courses.
One of the particular advantages of finite element method
is visualization of results which are sometimes an abstract
concept.
Future work will explore the use of this methodology to
study more complicated configurations, as well the
dynamic propagation of electromagnetic fields in the time
domain.
REFERENCES
[1 ] C. Geuzaine and J.-F. Remacle, Gmsh: a three- dimensional finite
element meshes generation with built-in pre-and post-processing
facilities. International for Numerical Method in Engineering,
Volume 79, Issue 11, pages 1909-1331, 2009.
http://www.geuz.org/gmsh.
[2 ] Patrick Dular, Christophe Geuzaine, A general environment for the
treatment of Discrete Problems, University of Liege , 1997-2011.
http://www.geuz.org/gmsh.
[3 ] Granino A. KORN, Advanced dynamic System simulation, Willey
& Sons, Inc., Arizona, 2007.
[4 ] W. J. Minkowycz, E. M.Sparrow, J.Y. Murthy, Handbook of
Numerical heat transfer, second edition, Willey &Sons, Inc., United
States of America, 2006.
[5 ] Robert E. Collin, Foundations for Microwave Engineering, second
edition, John Willey &Sons, Inc., New York, 2001.
[6 ] G.R. Liu, S. S. Quek, The finite element method: A Practical
course, Elsevier Science Ltd, Singapore, 2003.
[7 ] J.N. Reddy, An introduction to the finite element method, second
edition, McGraw-Hill, In., Texas, 1993.
[8 ] Jean-Philippe Grivet, Mthodes numriques appliques pour le
scientifique et lingnieur, EDP Sciences, Paris 2009.
[9 ] Benot Meys, Modlisation des champs lectromagntiques aux
hyperfrquences par la mthode des lments finis. Application au
problme du chauffage dilectrique, Thse prsente la Facult
des sciences Appliques, Universit de Lige, 1999.
[10 ] David V. Hutton, Fundamental of finite element analysis, McGraw-
Hill, New York, 2004.
[11 ] C. J. Reddy, Manohar D. Deshpande, C.R. Cockrell, and Fred B.
Beck; Finite Element Method for Eigenvalue Problems in
Electromagnetics, NASA Technical paper 3485, Virginia 23681-
0001, 1994.

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International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

is the outgoing unit normal vector.

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