Tapered Wires

A tapered wire is a wire with a variable radius along its length. The cross section of tapered wires is always circular. The radius is varied linearly along the wire and in defined steps, then a wire with a stepped radius is obtained, as shown in Fig. 1.

Go to Draw > Tapered Wire in the main menu and select a wire type for drawing. The wire types available are the same as in the Draw menu. As an example, Fig. 2 shows the Line page of the Draw dialog box when a linear wire is selected.

The wire must be divided into wire portions according to the desired steps in radius, as it is indicated in Fig. 1. Also, each wire portion having a uniform radius must be divided into segments as it is required by the Method of Moments used for the simulation.

The number of wire portions and the number of segments per wire can be set by going to the Attributes tab, Fig. 3. In this page, the Start and End radii can be set. The resistivity for the conductive wire and its coating material can be set in the Materials tab, Fig. 4. In this case, a tapered coating shield can also be set by giving a Start and End thickness.

The wire portions will be displayed in alternating colors for easy identification in the workspace.