Date of Award
3-11-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
First Advisor
Richard E. Huffman, PhD.
Abstract
Changes in the mass distribution around some point on the Earth’s surface induce corresponding changes to the magnitude and direction of the gravity vector at that location. The nine-tensor derivative of the gravity vector, or gravity gradient, is sensitive to very small changes in the gravity vector. With some assumptions, continuous measurement of the gravity gradient using a gravity gradiometer (GGI) is used to determine the location of a mass change in the local area near the instrument. This investigation sought to determine the effectiveness, operating characteristics, and limitations of a physical perimeter security system that uses an array of GGIs to detect and locate a human intruder. Results are obtained via computer simulations utilizing the closed form solution for calculating a gravity gradient given an object’s size and mass, as well as industry-predicted future GGI performance characteristics.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-GAE-ENY-11-M30
DTIC Accession Number
ADA540035
Recommended Citation
Tuinstra, Jared D., "Perimeter Security and Intruder Detection Using Gravity Gradiometry: A Feasibility Study" (2011). Theses and Dissertations. 1361.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/1361