Field site evaluation for seismic mine detection

Abstract

A system has been developed that uses audio-frequency surface seismic waves for the detection and imaging of buried landmines. The system is based on the measurement of seismic displacements immediately above buried mines using noncontacting vibrometers that interrogate the surface motion with either radar or ultrasonic signals. In laboratory tests and limited field tests the system has demonstrated the ability to detect a variety of inert antipersonnel and antitank mines with background contrast in excess of 20 dB. Current work on the system is focused on the transition from the laboratory into the field. To facilitate this, a series of experiments has been undertaken to measure the characteristics of several field test sites. The tradeoff between image contrast and scanning speed is of primary concern in evaluating the features of these sites. The field experiments have investigated the nature of ambient seismic noise, input impedance at the seismic source (a ground contacting shaker), modal content of the seismic interrogation signal, and the nature of the nonlinearities in the soil. Observed nonlinear phenomena have included harmonic generation, phase speed slowing, dispersion and spall. Although interesting, the differences between the field sites and the laboratory model do not appear to pose problems for seismic mine detection.