Application of ground penetrating radar for coal depth measurement

This paper describes the development of a new ground penetrating radar system for measuring coal thickness in underground mining operations. Although subsurface radar exhibits significant potential for depth measurement, the raw signals are complicated and cannot be readily interpreted by mining personnel. We show how real-time digital signal processing plays a key role in transforming the raw radar signals into a form that can be readily understood. We also indicate some of the unique challenges encountered when implementing a radar processing system in a harsh underground mining environment.