DSDS 17

Permanent URI for this collection

https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/21166

This collection showcases outputs from the third Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium, hosted at STEAM: Museum of the Great Western Railway, Swindon by Cranfield University in association with DSTL.

It is the only UK conference to provide research students and early career researchers in defence and security with an opportunity to present their work to a sector-wide audience.

Covering both technology and social sciences research, contributions include technical papers, a 3MT (three minute thesis) competition, digital images, posters and an installation competition. In addition, there are plenary talks from thought-leaders, as well as exhibition space for industry and other employers of defence and security researchers.

Citation Cranfield University. (2017). DSDS 17. CERES https://doi.org/10.17862/cranfield.rd.c.3924511

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Browsing DSDS 17 by Subject "'Antennas and Propagation'"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Designing 3D Printed Horn Antennas for Landmine Detection
    (Cranfield University, 2018-01-03 15:24) Wirth, Sebastian
    3MT presented at the 2017 Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium.This work presents the novel design and manufacture of a 3D-printed X-band horn antenna as a single part . This design considerably reduces manufacturing and assembly costs, is sixty percent lighter than an equivalent commercial antennas and offers similar performance. The antennas are particularly suitable for operational scenarios were weight is a key system requirement such as UAVs or as intended in this research for near field ground penetrating radar applications.
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    Giving an Antenna a Pair of Glasses
    (Cranfield University, 2017-11-15 12:02) Wirth, Sebastian
    Digital image presented at the 2017 Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium.This shows a close up image of a novel 3D printed flat microwave lens. The lens synthesises a conventional hyperbolic profile by digitally adjusting the air/ABS plastic density in the radial direction. The resultant synthetic lens is light and compact and offers a performance enhancement component to many antennas and arrays.
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    Light Weight Low Cost X-Band Antennas and Waveguide Components Using Electroplated 3D Printed Plastics
    (Cranfield University, 2017-11-15 12:05) Wirth, Sebastian; Morrow, Ivor; Andre, Daniel; Finnis, Mark
    Poster presented at the 2017 Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium.Low weight and low cost are attractive features in many antenna and waveguide applications including mobile communication, remote sensing and medical scenarios. Electroplating shaped three-dimensional printed plastic components to produce highly conductive surfaces is one advantageous approach. This research contributes to the newly developed design procedure, manufacture and measurements of a 3D printed microwave pyramidal horn antenna electoplated with a 40 um copper coating and a novel flat 3D printed Graded Refractive Index (GRIN) lens. The antenna, waveguide and lens are printed in two pieces, the lens is then attached to the horn antenna aperture to provide a highly collimated radiated beam. Measurements conducted at Cranfield University Antennas and Ground Based SAR (AGBSAR) laboratory on the antenna matching radiated fields and gain demonstrate the performance meets, and in some cases exceeds, that of a standard X-band milled aluminium horn antenna and waveguide but with significantly reduced weight and cost. When the lens is attached to the horn antenna aperture an increase in antenna radiated gain of 5dBi over a 200 MHz bandwidth at 10 GHz is demonstrated. The hybrid antenna-lens sensor is highly suitable for near-field ground penetrating radar imaging of buried landmines. We acknowledge the financial support of the Sir Bobby Charlton Charity "Find A Better Way".
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    Near-Field Virtual Bandwidth Synthetic Aperture Radar Processing for Humanitarian Landmine Detection
    (Cranfield University, 2017-11-15 11:56) Wirth, Sebastian; Morrow, Ivor; Andre, Daniel; Finnis, Mark
    Poster presented at the 2017 Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium.This research presents the first experimental demonstration of the Near-Field Virtual Bandwidth SAR (NFVB-SAR) imaging technique. NFVB-SAR is a newly developed sub-surface imaging technique which in contrast to traditional imaging techniques promises subsurface imaging of soils at ultra-high, centimetre-scale resolution using narrow bandwidth. We specifically exploit the differential interferometric SAR phase history of an electromagnetic wave within a drying soil volume to generate high resolution sub-surface mapping from the returned wave through the soil volume. Experiments were conducted at the Cranfield University Antennas and Ground Based SAR (AGBSAR) laboratory using a near-field full polarimetric data acquisition ground penetrating radar. Measurements were taken over a sandy soil containing a buried landmine while the moisture level was varied. - firstly during controlled water addition and then during an extended natural drying out period. As the sand volume dries, the real radar frequency is sequentially transported across a virtual bandwidth of virtual frequencies. The preliminary results demonstrate that even a moderate soil moisture change (SMC) can produce large virtual bandwidths; for e.g. an SMC change of 10% can provide 6cm vertical resolution at X-band. We acknowledge the financial support of the Sir Bobby Charlton Charity "Find A Better Way",10.17862/cranfield.rd.5585245.v1.
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    Synthetic Aperture Radar for Through-Wall Detection and Imaging of Complex Vibrating Targets
    (Cranfield University, 2017-11-15 11:56) Corbett, Brandon; Andre, Daniel; Muff, Darren; Morrow, Ivor; Finnis, Mark
    Poster presented at the 2017 Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium.Low frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a proven solution for generating through-wall images, although obtaining a clear picture of the structure and contents of buildings has proven to be difficult. Whilst the effects created by moving objects within a SAR image have been investigated before, the complex effects moving objects have upon a SAR image when located behind a wall, are less known. This is especially the case when the motion of the object being imaged is of vibration and when multipath effects influence the artefacts produced within the SAR image. This occurs when the transmitted SAR microwaves reflect from other objects within the imaged scene, before being detected by the receive antenna. The research presented, investigates these complex SAR phenomena with multistatic radar geometries, using the Cranfield University Antennas and Ground Based SAR (AGBSAR) laboratory. This research is conducted in support of the Dstl Remote Intelligence of Building Interiors (RIBI) programme, and addresses the problem of the detection of running machinery within buildings, amongst other challenging scenarios.