E.M. Characterization of Common Construction Materials Using the Fabry-Pérot resonance method

Several frequency bands above 6 GHz are being proposed for next generation wireless systems, and the electromagnetic characteristics of many common construction materials at these frequencies still need to be determined. The knowledge of such characteristics is particularly relevant, especially in relation to the increasing use of deterministic propagation models for radio-channel characterization in 5G and beyond systems. In this study, an assessment of the method based on Fabry-Pérot resonance for the evaluation of the complex permittivity of construction materials is presented. The method is shown to be effective in several cases using a relatively simple VNA-based measurement setup and procedure. We also present a comparison between VNA results and measurements performed with a spectrum compact analyzer. The aim is to show that it is possible to perform evaluation of electromagnetic characteristics of materials with a portable, handy and easy-to-use kit, leading to carry out on-site evaluation, without the necessity to acquire a sample of the material and to perform ad-hoc measurements in anechoic room.