Sediment Volume Search Sonar

MR-2545
Daniel C. Brown
Applied Research Laboratory at the Pennsylvania State University
In-Progress Review Meeting
17 May 2018
MR-2545: Sediment Volume Search Sonar
Performers:
Applied Research Laboratory – Penn State
Applied Physics Laboratory – Univ. of Washington
Naval Research Laboratory – Stennis Space Center

Technology Focus
• Sonar system design and signal processing for buried UXO imaging
• Focus on very shallow water (< 5 m) using surface craft

Research Objectives
• Determine hardware design and signal processing
strategies for near-field imaging of buried UXO targets

Project Progress and Results

• Phase 1 modeling and simulation effort is completed
• Phase 2 prototype field experiments completed

Technology Transition
• Program goal is the design, demonstration and
documentation of a system capable of
very-shallow-water, buried-UXO imaging 2
 Social Media Content
● Journal of the Acoustical Society – Express Letter
● “A simple model for computing acoustic scattering from the
seafloor: Researchers at the Applied Research Laboratory at the
Pennsylvania State University have developed a simple model for
simulation of acoustic scattering from the seafloor. This model utilizes an
approach that is well suited to high-speed parallel implementation on
general purpose graphics processors.” http://doi.org/10.1121/1.4976584
● SAGEEP 2018 – Presentation
● “Researchers at the Applied Research Laboratory at the Pennsylvania
State University presented their work on a sensor designed to map
buried unexploded ordnance using a sonar system. This sensor uses a
novel form of synthetic aperture processing to make three-dimensional
images of buried objects.”

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 Social Media Content
● IEEE Oceans Charleston – Presentation/Paper
● “Successful demonstration of prototype sensors for munitions
mapping: Researchers at the Applied Research Laboratory at the
Pennsylvania State University have recently conducted experiments to
map buried ordnance using a novel form of synthetic aperture sonar.”
Link to paper when available.

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 Project Team and Collaborators

● Applied Research Laboratory – Penn State

 Dr. Daniel Brown, PI
 Dr. Shawn Johnson, Co-PI
 Mr. Cale Brownstead, Co-PI
 Mr. Zack Lowe, Lead Engineer

● Applied Physics Laboratory – University of Washington

 Dr. Aubrey Espana, PI
 Dr. Steve Kargl, Co-PI

● Naval Research Laboratory – Stennis Space Center

 Dr. Joseph Calantoni, PI
 Mr. Edward Braithwaite, Lead Engineer
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 Problem Statement

● A capability gap exists for the detailed survey of UXO in very

shallow water (1-5 meters depth)
 The potential for human/UXO interaction is high in these shallow
environments that make up a large fraction of SERDPs sites
 Current COTS acoustic sensors and platforms are not well suited to
conducting surveys in these water depths

NAS
Pax
River

Depth In Feet 6
 Technical Objective
● The program will simulate, design, fabricate and
demonstrate an acoustic sensor and platform capable of
detailed UXO surveys in 1-5 meters water depth

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 Technical Approach

• Leverage/extend models for producing synthetic sonar data

Phase 1
• Adapt existing signal processing for volumetric imaging
Simulation and
Modeling
• Analyze and quantify expected system performance

• Reconfigure existing test platform and sonar hardware

Phase 2
• Modify signal processing algorithms based on field data analysis
Prototype
Demonstration
• Demonstrate performance for UXO detection

• Purpose-built hardware design based on lessons learned

Phase 3
• Further refinement of signal processing and data visualization
System
Demonstration
• Demonstrate performance for UXO detection

Each phase of the program concludes with a Go/No-Go decision point

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 Phase 1: Simulation and Modeling
Environmental Modeling
● Leverage the Point-based
Sonar Scattering Model
(PoSSM)
● Coherent simulation
accounts for sonar motion,
beam pattern, absorption,
sediment type and
backscattering strength, and
bathymetry
● Produces time series suitable
for SAS beamforming
● SVSS program extended
PoSSM to include volume
scattering / layered
sediments and SVSS sonar
geometry
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 Phase 1: Simulation and Modeling
Target in the Environment Modeling
FE Mesh for 100-mm Aluminum UXO
● Leverage recent collaboration
with APL/UW Target in
Environment Response (TIER)
modeling effort
 Combined finite element and
propagation model for target Water
signatures
● Past SERDP programs
supported TIER model Perfectly Matched Layer
development and validation
● Extend TIER to include bistatic
paths and SVSS sonar geometry R Path 1 R Path 2 R Path 3 R Path 4

● TIER currently supports S T S T S T S T

simulation of a number of UXO

shapes Sediment Sediment Sediment Sediment

100-mm aluminum replica of UXO 105-mm bullet-shaped UXO (air-filled) 155-mm howitzer with cap and air-filled

Images courtesy of APL/UW 10

 Phase 1: Signal Processing
Backprojection Imaging
● Extend existing synthetic
aperture beamformer
to volumetric imaging
● Requires addressing two
main topics:
 Near-field “field of view”
 Acoustic refraction at
water/sediment boundary

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 Phase 2: Prototype Demonstration
Field Testing
Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir
● Foster Joseph Sayers
Reservoir
 Flood control
 Drained in late fall
● Winter lake draining permits
UXO-like objects to be
deployed with accurate
ground truth
● Three planned lake trials Fall/Winter
Reservoir Drained
Spring/Summer
Reservoir Filled

 System Integration
 System Functionality
 System Demonstration

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 Phase 3: System Demonstration

● Lessons learned from simulation and prototype

demonstrations will be applied to the fabrication of a
purpose built test platform.
 Hardware leveraged in prototype may not be optimal.
● Potential areas for improvement:
 Receive array design (geometry and acoustic performance)
 Transmit array design (geometry and band of operation)
 Surface craft design (sonar system deployment, onboard power)
● Significant effort on improving signal processing
 Target strength estimation (calibrated spectral response)
 Automated target detection

Completed SERDP-specific sensor/platform and signal processing will

be demonstrated and delivered
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PHASE 2:
DEMONSTRATION RESULTS

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 SVSS Prototype Sensor Design

● Modeling and simulation

results informed the prototype Sonar Array Schematic

sensor design Sonar

Hardware Projectors Receivers
 Significant leverage of existing
hardware for demonstration
● SVSS program developed a
new array configuration
 Expanded the receiver from 48
channels to 80 channels
 Fabricated six new projectors
● Added a new high-frequency
COTS sidescan sensor

Sound Hunter Test Platform
80 channel receiver Real‐time kinematic GPS Water temperature sensor
6 channel transmitter Fiber optic gyroscopic navigator 40 TB data storage
High‐frequency sidescan Acoustically quiet battery power Gas and electric propulsion
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Projector Design and Fabrication Challenge
Tonpilz Element

● SVSS requires five

Element Isolation Web
wideband acoustic
projectors Projector Housing

 Intended COTS supplier

declared bankruptcy early in
Phase 2
● ARL designed and
fabricated projectors using
surplus tonpilz elements
● Excellent “front-to-back”
ratio for multipath rejection

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 Prototype Integration and Testing in the
Summer/Fall of 2017
● Hardware changes
 Receive array expanded and reconfigured
 Transmitter expanded
 RTK GPS integrated
● Multiple experiments conducted at the test site
 Early tests focused on debugging
 Later tests focused on survey and imaging of deployed targets
 Sediment samples collected to characterize test environment

Shallow Site Deep Site

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 High-frequency Sidescan Survey

● Commercial sidescan
sonar is used to give an
overview of the test area.
● Boat operator uses real-
time sidescan display to
help guide boat operation
● Follow on effort will
explore how to use this
sensor more effectively

Sidescan data provides environmental characterization and 
some limited capability for larger surface ordnance.
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 Test Site Sediment Characteristics

● Some areas of the test

sites showed a silt layer
(10-15 cm) overlaying a

Silt
clay basement
● Some bioturbation from
fly larvae

Clay

Midge Fly Larvae

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 Sediment Layering in Sub-bottom Profile
Depth [m]

Old 220
Deep Site Road Bed

Distance Traveled [m] 20

 Three-dimensional Image Visualization

● SVSS creates three dimensional data

 Imagery consists of voxels (instead of pixels)
● Visualization techniques
 Projections
 Slices
 3D Viewer

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SVSS Maximum
Intensity Projections
(MIPs)

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23
SVSS Image Slices

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 Targets Planted
by ARL/PSU

Clutter Recovered
by ARL/PSU

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Accurate Relative Target Location

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Measuring Target Dimensions from Imagery
Short Cylinder: L = 30.5 cm Long Cylinder: L = 61.0 cm

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 Phase 2 Results Conclusion

● Prototype SVSS sensor was developed leveraging

existing hardware
 Projector fabrication and receive array expansion
● Demonstrations were conducted at the Foster Joseph
Sayers Reservoir test site
 Two “survey” tests conducted in late 2017
● SVSS generated three-dimensional imagery of targets
 11 of 12 cylindrical targets were located in the resulting imagery

Phase 2 testing has demonstrated that the SVSS sensor is 
capable of buried UXO detection in very shallow water.
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 Re-planning Year 1 of Phase 3

● Phase 2 demonstrated the prototype SVSS is capable of

imaging buried targets at the test site
 Projector development pushed testing to late 2017
 Limited dataset precluded a complete SVSS characterization

● ARL/PSU has proposed re-planning the first year of

Phase 3 for expanded testing of the prototype SVSS
 More thorough characterization will improve final system design
 Delaying final system design allows for additional consideration
of potential test sites in the system design
 Additional testing will provide time for scientific studies

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 Early Phase 3 Topics

● Data collection against realistic ordnance

 Several inert UXO were installed in the test site in March 2018
● Enhanced target detection
 Non-linear image normalization techniques are needed to reduce
high-level interface scattering
 Techniques should be developed to exploit elastic phenomena

● Improved sediment characterization

 Sediment cores were collected during March 2018 installation
 Model/data comparisons will be conducted to better understand
the relevant scattering processes

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 Early Phase 3 Topics

● Wideband transmitter study

 Waveform design to best utilize the Phase 2 projectors
 Determine frequency bands for best performance

● Ensuring area coverage / multi-pass data fusion

 Operator displays to guarantee 100% survey area coverage
 Fusion (possibly coherent) of data from multiple passes

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 Action Items

● “Dr. Andrews noted that project will need to re-brief with

the Board in year four of the project since the requested
funds exceed $1M.”
 Type: SAB
 Due Date: 06/16/2019
 Status: PENDING

Year 4 as proposed exceeds $1M, and falls in Phase 3 of

the project after the next go/no-go decision point. We will
continue monitoring this and coordinate with the SAB if
executed as planned.
A re-planned phase 3 will expend less than $1M in year 4
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 Transition Plan

● The program plan is to generate system documentation

and data used for demonstration of capabilities
 Phase 2 and Phase 3 each include a number of field
demonstrations of the SVSS under SERDP funding
 Result of Phase 3 will be a system capable of sub-bottom
imaging of buried UXO

● User community “buy in” will be achieved by open

sharing of documentation and data collected in field
demonstrations

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BACKUP MATERIAL

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 Publications

● Peer Reviewed Publications

 D.C. Brown, S.F. Johnson and D.R. Olson, “A point-based
scattering model for the incoherent component of the scattered
field”, J. Acoust. Soc. Am., vol. 141, no. 3, pp. EL210-EL215,
2017
● Conference Publications
 Paper in preparation for IEEE Oceans Conference.
● Presentations
 D.C. Brown, S.F. Johnson and C.F. Brownstead, “Sediment
Volume Search Sonar”, SAGEEP 2018.

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