Measurement of Layer Thickness and Permittivity Using a New Multilayer Model From GPR Data

The conventional method, i.e., the common middle point (CMP) method, has been used for many years for estimating the depth and permittivity of layered media from ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data. However, the CMP method results in noticeable errors in thickness and permittivity readings with the increase of antenna separation. To improve the measurement accuracy, a new mathematical model is presented, covering GPR measurement in one- and two-layer cases. In this model, we first check all the possible wave paths when the GPR signal propagates in the multilayer environment. We not only consider the effects from the air-ground interface but also introduce a ray-path-searching process in the GPR measurement using Fermat's shortest path law. The shortest path is then used in the process of GPR data inversion in order to calculate the depth and permittivity of each layer. Finally, we use the transmission-line matrix (TLM) method to simulate the propagation of a GPR signal in the multilayered formation. A time-sequence image that was produced by the finite-difference time-domain method has also been used to explain this presented model. By comparing the numerical simulation results with the measured results, it is found that the estimated layer thickness and permittivity by the new model agree well with the simulated results. It proves that the new model is more accurate and closer to the real measured situation.