Helicopter Location and Tracking using Seismometer Recordings

Eibl, Eva P. S. and Lokmer, Ivan and Bean, Christopher J. and Akerlie, Eggert (2017) Helicopter Location and Tracking using Seismometer Recordings. Geophysical Journal International, 209 (2). pp. 901-908.

Share :
Mastodon Twitter Facebook Email

[thumbnail of Eibl_et_al_GJI_revision1_clean.pdf] Text
Eibl_et_al_GJI_revision1_clean.pdf

Download (1MB)
Official URL: https://academic.oup.com/gji/article-abstract/209/...

Abstract

We use frequency domain methods usually applied to volcanic tremor to analyse ground based seismic recordings of a helicopter. We preclude misinterpretations of tremor sources and show alternative applications of our seismological methods. On a volcano, the seismic source can consist of repeating, closely spaced, small earthquakes. Interestingly, similar signals are generated by helicopters, due to repeating pressure pulses from the rotor blades. In both cases the seismic signals are continuous and referred to as tremor. As frequency gliding is in this case merely caused by the Doppler effect, not a change in the source, we can use its shape to deduce properties of the helicopter and its flight path. We show in this analysis that the number of rotor blades, rotor revolutions per minute (RPM), helicopter speed, flight direction, altitude and location can be deduced from seismometer recordings. Access to GPS determined flight path data from the helicopter offers us a robust way to test our location method.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: acoustic signal, airborne object, Doppler effect, Fourier analysis, frequency gliding, tremor
Divisions: School of Cosmics Physics
School of Cosmics Physics > Geophysics
Date Deposited: 05 Apr 2018 12:50
Last Modified: 16 Dec 2022 01:20
URI: https://dair.dias.ie/id/eprint/382

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year