Mobile source development for seismic-sonar based landmine detection

Abstract

Landmines continue to be a threat to both military and civilian communities throughout the world. Current methods of detection, while better than nothing, could certainly be improved. Seismic SONAR is a promising new technology that may help save countless lives. The goal of this thesis was to advance Seismic SONAR development by introducing a mobile source which could be easily used in practical applications. A small tracked vehicle with dual inertial mass shakers mounted on top was used for a source. The source accurately transmitted the shaker signal into the ground, and its mobility made it a practical choice for field operations. It excited Rayleigh waves, as desired, but also generated undesirable P-waves and was not found to be directional. It proved incapable of finding a target. Improvements, such as a deploying an array of mobile sources and a stronger source, should vastly enhance the performance of such tracked vehicles in seismic SONAR mine detection and should be pursued.