GPR signal phase structure aplication for estimation of distribution of soil electrical properties on depth

Abstract

One of the problems hindering wider use of GPR radar sensing is the estimation of the physical properties of objects and soil layers directly on the results of sensing. Usually the result of the sensing is a brightness image of the soil profile along the georadar movement, which does not allow making conclusions about the physical properties of the environment or the individual objects observed on this image. Such conclusions can only be made in case of assessment of the frequency dependence of attenuation per unit length or the phase velocity of radio waves propagation in the layers of the soil. This information can be extracted using a Stepped Frequency Continuous Wave (SFCW) radar signal [1]. In this case, these relationships can be evaluated using quadrature signals at the output of georadar receiver phase detector, as their phase structure at each frequency step contains the necessary information.