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TRANSMISSION LINE

TRANSMISSION LINES

- medium that is used to transfer signal or power from one point to another - can be used to propagate dc or low-frequency ac (such as 60-Hz electrical power and audio signals, and very high frequencies (such as IF and RF) - All practical transmission lines are arranged in some uniform pattern to simplify calculation, reduce costs and increase convenience. - There is a difference between a transmission line and a conductor Conductor a material that guides flow of current (All conductors are transmission lines, but not all transmission lines are conductors)

THREE IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS OF TRANSMISSION LINE

> There must be minimum loss (line losses attenuate the signal because of power dissipation in the conductors > Reflection of signal on the line must be avoided > There should be no stray radiation or pick-up of signal by the line itself

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TYPES OF TRANSMISSION LINE
> BALANCED LINE (PARALLEL WIRE)

INTRODUCTION

- the two wires have the same capacitance to ground - each wire carries same current but are 180 out of phase (currents for each wire are equal, only in opposite direction)

- OPEN-WIRE TRANSMISSION LINE - TWIN LEAD TRANSMISSION LINE - TWISTED-PAIR CABLE - SHIELDED CABLE PAIR > UNBALANCED LINE (COAXIAL)
- one wire is at ground potential, while the other wire is at signal potential

- COAXIAL/CONCENTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE - BALUNS

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OPEN-WIRE TRANSMISSION LINE

INTRODUCTION

- Consists of two parallel wires,closely spaced and separated by air - Nonconductive spacers are used at periodic intervals as support to keep the distance between the two wires constant (spacing: 2 - 6 inches) - Advantage: simple construction - Disadvantage: high radiation losses and noise susceptibility

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TWIN LEAD TRANSMISSION LINE

INTRODUCTION

- Similar to the open wire, except that instead of spacers a solid dielectric is used along the whole length of the wire which provides uniform spacing along the entire length - Also termed as ribbon cable - Typical distance between the wires is about 5/16 inch - Common dielectrics are teflon and polyethylene

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TWISTED-PAIR CABLE

INTRODUCTION

- Two insulated wires twisted to form a flexible line without the use of spacers - Advantage: flexibility - Disadvantage: not suitbale for high frequencies because of high loss due to insulation

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SHIELDED CABLE PAIR

INTRODUCTION

- Consists of parallel conductors separated from each other and surrounded by a solid dielectric. - Conductors are contained within a copper braid tubing that acts like a shield - Assembly is covered by a rubber coating for protection from elements and mechanical damage - Advantage: less radiation loss and interference

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COAXIAL/CONCENTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE

INTRODUCTION

- The basic coaxial is made of a centre conductor surrounded by an outer concentric conductor. - Extensively used for high frequencies (parallel transmission lines are suitable for low frequency applications since their radiation and dielectric losses become excessive at high frequencies) - Two types:

Rigid air filled

- insulating material is air - Advantage: ability to minimize the radiation losses - Noise pick up is also prevented - Disadvantage: expensive and high-maintenance (moisture sensitive)

Solid flexible lines

- inner conductor consists of flexible wire insulated from the braided outer conductor by a solid continuous insulating material - polyethylene plastic as well as Teflon, is used to separate the two conductors - Advantage: less expensive, easier to construct and install, less maintenance - Disadvantage: higher dielectric loss

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COAXIAL/CONCENTRIC TRANSMISSION LINE

INTRODUCTION

Rigid Air-filled Coaxial Cable Solid Flexible Coaxial Cable

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INTRODUCTION

BALUN
- a circuit device used to connect a balanced transmission line to an unbalanced transmission line

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LOSSES IN TRANSMISSION LINE

TRANSMISSION LINES

RESISTIVE OR CONDUCTOR HEATING (I2R LOSS) - proportional to current and therefore inversely proportional to characteristic impedance - this loss also increases with frequency because of skin effect Ways to minimize skin effect: a. increase wire diameter b. silver plate the conductor DIELECTRIC HEATING - proportional to the voltage across the dielectric and inversely proportional to the characteristic impedance for any power transmitted - comes from the leakage current that flows through the dielectric RADIATION LOSS - result when the line cannot restrain all of the signal enerrgy to stray within the shield - also occurs if the transmission line acts as an antenna

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TRANSMISSION LINES

TRANSMISSION LINE EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT

**Since each conductor has a certain length and diameter, it will have a RESISTANCE (R) and INDUCTANCE (L). **Since there are two wires close to each other, there will be CAPACITANCE (C) between them. **The wires are separated by a certain dielectric which cannot be perfect insulation, the leakage current through it can be represented by shunt CONDUCTANCE (G). **R, L, C, and G are all measured per unit length because they occur periodically along the line

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PRIMARY CONSTANTS: R / unit length L H / unit length C F / unit length G S / unit length SECONDARY CONSTANTS Characteristic Impedance Propagation Constant

TRANSMISSION LINES

TRANSMISSION LINE EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT

CHARACTERISTIC IMPEDANCE
- the impedance measured at the input of a transmission line when its length is infinite - ration of maximum voltage to maximum current at any point on such line - Mathematically, Zo = Z/Y or where: Z series impedance per section
R + jL

Zo = R + jL G + jC

Y shunt admittance perr section G + jC

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TRANSMISSION LINES

CHARACTERISTIC IMPEDANCE BASED ON GEOMETRY

PARALLEL-WIRE LINE
D

Zo =

276 2 D log r d
d d

COAXIAL LINE
d D

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TRANSMISSION LINES

PROPAGATION CONSTANT (PROPAGATION COEFFICIENT)

- used to express the attenuation and phase shift per unit length of the transmission line - determines the variation of current or voltage with distance S along the line

= + j

(nepers / unit length) (radians / unit length)

= ZY = (R + jL)(G + jC) = + j