A Fully Three-Dimensional Simulation of a Ground-Penetrating Radar over Lossy and Dispersive Grounds

A 3-D finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation is done on a ground penetrating radar (GPR) operating above lossy and dispersive grounds. The radar consists of a pair of resistor-loaded bow-tie antennas and the ground consists of Puerto Rico clay loam. The clay loam is modeled by using a two term Debye model with a static conductivity. The simulation results show the GPR response of buried metal and plastic pipes. The results are more realistic as the simulations include commercially used antennas and real ground conditions. The target signatures and target polarization characteristics of the pipes are also studied in the paper