Detection of buried mines and other explosive devices using a single-beam laser Doppler vibrometer

This work is a part of an ongoing global effort aimed at humanitarian demining. Its purpose is to develop a laser-acoustic method for detecting buried landmines and other explosive devices as well as to create a domestic system capable of detecting various types of mines, including plastic ones. In this work, a laboratory stand, which included a single-beam laser Doppler vibrometer operating in the stop-stare measurement mode and a model of a minefield were created. The acoustic responses of three types of plastic simulants of explosive devices, namely anti-personnel landmines ПМН-2 and ПФМ-1 as well as a grenade ПІРО-5Г, buried in sand and a substrate, were detected. The difference in the acoustic characteristics of the investigated soil-mine systems was identified. The effect of sand moisture on the amplitude and resonance frequency of the vibrations was demonstrated. The obtained results give hope for high potential of the used laser-acoustic method for detecting plastic explosive devices. The results of the work are expected to be useful for humanitarian demining of the territory of Ukraine.