Large size An experimental model of the metal detector on stream

On February 1999, the employees of the Remote Sensing Laboratory Ltd. went with an experimental model of the metal detector "MiRascan", mounted on the three-wheel chassis, to the private house in Moscow Region for the investigation of cement covering of a floor of a building during preparation for parquet flooring.

The purpose of investigation was to define the exact position of plastic pipes laid within cement covering of a floor for prevention of possible damages of plastic pipes at mounting an underlying surface of parquet flooring. The plastic pipes were feeding hot water to heating radiators.

A cut of a plastic pipe

Four rooms with the area about 30-40 sq. m each, a kitchen and a hall with the area of 70 sq. m were investigated. In hard-to-reach places (narrow corridors, corners, door apertures) the investigation was made with the help of manually moved separate antenna system of the metal detector (Fig. 3). In this case the position of pipes was defined by means of coordinate bars put on an examined surface.

Large size Manual research of a surface

For higher efficiency the investigation in rooms with large area was carried out with the application of the chassis. The position of pipes was defined with regard to the metal detector antenna in the local coordinate system. The true position of pipes was plotted with chalk on a floor surface in the course of the metal detector advancement along the examined route.

The true position of pipes plotted with chalk on a floor surface

The file recording of images of pipes obtained on the metal detector display was made for documenting the results of research. The arrangement of plastic pipes in the largest room is shown in Fig. 5. The pipe routes are clearly visible as continuous lines. The change of line contrast along their length is explained by change of depth of their laying and change of the antenna and a pipe mutual positions. The investigation of the room with the area 300 sq. m was made within one working day. Thirty routes with general length about 200 m were identified.