The main purpose of this research was to obtain numerical and experimental information that may support Radar survey design. The reference material is usually concrete, but the results can be extended to other materials. Other techniques currently being employed either on concrete or masonry are also critically described. Justification for this research into Radar is clearly identified. A numerical study was carried out giving emphasis to Radar resolution (horizontal and vertical) and clutter (signal scattered from material heterogeneity). Assumptions are made for the centre frequency of transmitted pulses, and the results are compared to experiments. The experimental work focuses on signal distortion due to antenna coupling and wave attenuation during propagation in lossy media. The centre frequency of the recorded signals is used as a reference for comparisons. Digital signal processing techniques are used to analyse the experimental data, in both time domain and frequency domain. Other important aspects that could influence the accuracy of travel time measurements are also discussed, such as the antenna size for short ranges and the change in pulse shape. Radar confirms its potential as a non-destructive technique, however users have to be aware of its limitations. Experiments suggest that manufactures of Radar need to improve their systems, particularly for their portability and antenna efficiency.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:660280 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Padaratz, Ivo Jose |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/15568 |
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