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Exploiting forward scattering for detecting submerged proud/half-buried unexploded ordnance.
J A Bucaro1, B H Houston, H Simpson
1Excet, Inc., Springfield, Virginia 22151, USA. bucaro@pa.nrl.navy.mil
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|December 17, 2009
Summary
Underwater sonar measurements show that forward echoes from unexploded ordnances are stronger than backscattered signals. Burial reduces backscatter but not forward echoes, aiding in target detection.
Area of Science:
- Acoustics
- Oceanography
- Geophysics
Background:
- Underwater acoustic scattering is crucial for detecting submerged objects.
- Unexploded ordnances (UXO) pose significant risks in marine environments.
- Bistatic scattering provides unique target information compared to monostatic methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate underwater bistatic acoustic scattering from unexploded ordnances.
- To analyze the effect of target burial depth on scattering characteristics.
- To develop improved methods for target detection and identification in cluttered environments.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory-based bistatic scattering measurements were conducted.
- Scattering was measured for free, proud, and half-buried UXO models.
- Acoustic signals were analyzed for different source angles (0 and 90 degrees).
Main Results:
- Forward echoes were consistently larger than backscattered returns.
- Half burial significantly reduced backscattered signals but had minimal impact on forward echoes.
- Measurements demonstrated agreement with analytic predictions from radar scattering theory.
Conclusions:
- The orientation and burial state of UXO significantly influence their acoustic scattering signatures.
- Forward scattering is a robust indicator for UXO detection, less affected by burial.
- A novel method utilizing source location and signal characteristics was proposed for target detection in scenarios where direct signal separation is not feasible.
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