Investigation of a Technique That Uses Both Elastic and Electromagnetic Waves to Detect Buried Land Mines

A system is being investigated that uses elastic waves as the primary detection mechanism to detect buried land mines [1]. The system is shown in Fig. 1. In the system, a stationary transducer, located on the surface of the soil adjacent to the search region, generates an elastic wave in the earth. The elastic wave propagates through the search region and interacts with the buried mine. This causes both the mine and the earth to be displaced. The displacement of the mine is different than that of the earth, because the mechanical properties of the mine are different than those of the earth. The radar is used to detect these displacements and, thus, the mine. The interaction of elastic waves with buried land mines is being investigated using both numerical and experimental models.