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DRDC's high-power microwave system heats
the ground until the landmine detonates.
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RECLAIMING THE EARTH"Landmines kill and mutilate over 8,000 children every year. The worst thing about them is that they continue to kill innocent people long after the war is over."
.... Larry Bagnell M.P. for the Yukon
According to Defence R&D Canada (DRDC) Scientist Howie Mende, at the present rate of removal we will rid ourselves of the world's last land mine in 1,000 years. Clearly this is a problem that goes beyond simply military considerations.
DRDC-Ottawa, along with DRDC-Suffield, has developed a complete system for detecting and neutralizing landmines. The DRDC-Ottawa components are developed using Shirleys Bay's unique facilities and expertise.
Tom Cousins, Leader of the Radiation Effects Group at Shirleys Bay explained that his group's expertise in neutron and gamma-ray transport and detection, and in electronic fast pulse counting, has allowed them to develop a device that can make the final judgment about a suspect location. "Using our knowledge of thermal neutron activation we are able to assess whether or not the hidden object contains nitrogen, a common element in most explosives", says Cousins.
Howie Mende, who works in the Microwave Analysis and Countermeasures (MAC) Group, makes use of Shirleys Bay's expertise in microwave propagation and dielectric heating. Mende explained, "Our device is a high-power microwave system that we use to heat the ground around the landmine until it detonates, usually around 100 oC. Another possibility is to use the device to fine tune the detection process. The landmine has different microwave absorption properties than its surroundings, so we can see from the heating pattern exactly where the mine is located. It's a lot like doing passive IR detection using solar heating, but we bring our own heat source. The biggest advantage to our approach is that it does not require a person to come in close proximity to the mine before detonation."
Together with the components developed by DRDC-Suffield they have created a complete landmine detection and elimination solution.
Anti-landmine technology is only one application of the expertise held by the Radiation Effects Group. Others include radiation testing of space-bound electronics, calibration of nuclear detection devices and the detection of radioactive particles at a distance. The Microwave Analysis and Countermeasures Group has extensive experience in electromagnetic modeling, radar cross-section modeling and electronic signal integrity measurements.
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