Electromagnetic Compatibility

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) are important design considerations which can be mitigated by the mechanical structure. EMI limits may be in place due to application-specific requirements, but more importantly, EMI can be detrimental to electronics because of the sensitive nature of many of the modern systems and signals. EMI can manifest due to poor electrical grounding between mechanical components. Grounding is achieved by good mechanical bonds between metal components in contact with each other.

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) events are proven to result in radiating EMI even in the vacuum of space. Electrostatic charging can occur in the space environment on floating metal surfaces and on certain materials with given properties. Use of good grounding techniques eliminate many of the avenues by which ESD events are generated between mechanical interfaces. Therefore, grounding and ESD are important design considerations which should be incorporated into the mechanical design to decrease the potential for EMI to be generated by the component.

The following sections describe the requirements which deal with EMC considerations for the JAS mechanical structure.