30 Sep 2022

Buried-Object-Detection Improvements Incorporating Environmental Phenomenology into Signature Physics

Abstract: The ability to detect buried objects is critical for the Army. Therefore, this report summarizes the fourth year of an ongoing study to assess environmental phenomenological conditions affecting probability of detection and false alarm rates for buried-object detection using thermal infrared sensors. This study used several different approaches to identify the predominant environmental variables affecting object detection: (1) multilevel statistical modeling, (2) direct image analysis, (3) physics-based thermal modeling, and (4) application of machine learning (ML) techniques. In addition, this study developed an approach using a Canny edge methodology to identify regions of interest potentially harboring a target object. Finally, an ML method was developed to improve automatic target detection and recognition performance by accounting for environmental phenomenological conditions, improving performance by 50% over standard automatic target detection and recognition software.

7 Jul 2022

Validation of the Automatic Dynamic Cone Penetrometer

Abstract: The U.S. military requires a rapid means of measuring subsurface soil strength for construction and repair of expeditionary pavement surfaces. Traditionally, a dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) has served this purpose, providing strength with depth profiles in natural and prepared pavement surfaces. To improve upon this device, the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) validated a new battery-powered automatic dynamic cone penetrometer (A-DCP) apparatus that automates the driving process by using a motor-driven hammering cap placed on top of a traditional DCP rod. The device improves upon a traditional DCP by applying three to four blows per second while digitally recording depth, blow count, and California Bearing Ratio (CBR). An integrated Global Positioning Sensor (GPS) and Bluetooth® connection allow for real-time data capture and stationing. Similarities were illustrated between the DCP and the A-DCP by generation of a new A-DCP calibration curve. This curve relates penetration rate to field CBR that nearly follows the DCP calibration with the exception of a slight offset. Field testing of the A-DCP showed less variability and more consistent strength measurement with depth at a speed five times greater than that of the DCP with minimal physical exertion by the operator.

9 Dec 2021

Field Jet Erosion Tests on Benbrook Dam, Texas

Abstract: This report summarizes the results of eight field Jet Erosion Tests (JETs) performed on Benbrook Dam, TX. The results from these tests will be used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, in assessments of the erosion resistance of the Benbrook Dam with regards to possible overtopping by extreme flooding. The JETs were performed at four different locations, i.e., two locations at the lowest crest elevation and two locations at the mid-slope face of the downstream embankment. Variations in estimated critical hydraulic shear stress and erosion rate values may have been caused by differences in soil composition, i.e., when the material changed from silt/sand to clay. The resulting values of the Erodibility Coefficient, Kd, and Critical Stress, τc, are very useful information in assessing the stability of Benbrook Dam during an overtopping event. Because of the observed natural variability of the materials, combining the erosion parameters presented in this report with the drilling logs and local geology will be imperative for assessing erosion-related failure modes of Benbrook Dam.

7 Sep 2021

The Behaviour of Near-Surface Soils Through Ultrasonic Near-Surface Inundation Testing

Abstract: Seismometers installed within the upper metre of the subsurface can experience significant variability in signal propagation and attenuation properties of observed arrivals due to meteorological events. For example, during rain events, both the time and frequency representations of observed seismic waveforms can be significantly altered, complicating potential automatic signal processing efforts. Historically, a lack of laboratory equipment to explicitly investigate the effects of active inundation on seismic wave properties in the near surface prevented recreation of the observed phenomena in a controlled environment. Presented herein is a new flow chamber designed specifically for near-surface seismic wave/fluid flow interaction phenomenology research, the ultrasonic near-surface inundation testing device and new vp-saturation and vs-saturation relationships due to the effects of matric suction on the soil fabric.

2 Jul 2021

Modeling of a Multi-Month Thermal IR Study

Abstract: Inconsistent and unacceptable probability of detection (PD) and false alarm rates (FAR) due to varying environmental conditions hamper buried object detection. A 4-month study evaluated the environmental parameters impacting standoff thermal infra-red (IR) detection of buried objects. Field observations were integrated into a model depicting the temporal and spatial thermal changes through a 1-week period utilizing a 15-minute time-step interval. The model illustrates the surface thermal observations obtained with a thermal IR camera contemporaneously with a 3-d presentation of subsurface soil temperatures obtained with 156 buried thermocouples. Precipitation events and subsequent soil moisture responses synchronized to the temperature data are also included in the model simulation. The simulation shows the temperature response of buried objects due to changes in incoming solar radiation, air/surface soil temperature changes, latent heat exchange between the objects and surrounding soil, and impacts due to precipitation/changes in soil moisture. Differences are noted between the thermal response of plastic and metal objects as well as depth of burial below the ground surface. Nearly identical environmental conditions on different days did not always elicit the same spatial thermal response.

1 Jul 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: A Novel Laboratory Simulation System to Uncover the Mechanisms of Uranium Upward Transport in a Desert Landscape

Abstract: After depleted uranium (DU) is deposited in the environment, it corrodes producing mobile uranium species. The upward transport mechanism in a desert landscape is associated with the dissolution/precipitation of uranium minerals that vary in composition and solubility in soil pore water. The objective of this study is to develop the laboratory column simulation to investigate the upward transport mechanism with cyclic capillary wet-ting and drying moisture regimes. Results showed that evaporation driven upward transport occurred even during the first 2 months of wetting-drying regimes. Evaporation driven upward transport may control the U movement in the soil profile in an arid climate. The new system did not generate any uranium-containing wastewater. • Simulates the upward transport process of pollutants with different pollution levels and species. • Simultaneously simulate the transport process of multiple pollutants simultaneously. • Evaluate the influence of biogeochemical factors on pollutant transport such as various cations and anions (Ca, Mg and carbonates) in water.