Detection and Identification of Unexploded Ordnance

Frank Morrison, Alex Becker, Erika Gasperikova, and Torquil Smith

Contact: Erika Gasperikova, 510/486-4930, EGasperikova@lbl.gov

Research Objectives
A recent Task Force Report lists some 1,500 sites comprising approximately 15 million acres that potentially contain unexploded ordnance (UXO). In practice, the major costs in cleanup are excavation and removal, but at present, 90% of the objects detected are non-UXO, and 75% of the cost of excavation is for these non-UXO objects. Existing systems can detect metallic objects in the ground, but cannot discriminate between the generally cylindrical and symmetric intact UXO and the scraps or fragments of exploded UXO that are harmless. It is the objective of this research to design and fabricate an optimum active electromagnetic (AEM) system that can extract from the measurements the best possible estimates of the location, size, shape, and metal content of a buried metallic object--in the presence of interfering responses from the ground and non-UXO metallic objects.

To continue reading more about this project, view the 1-page pdf here.