FTL’s SHR3DR (Sub-sea High Resolution 3D Reconstruction) technology enables automatic detection of voids and piles in the subterranean areas below wharfs and piers. SHR3DR utilizes active seismic sensing with specialized algorithmic acoustic signal data processing and a custom trained neural network to meet these objectives, and the resulting survey tool is intended to be used by the Navy for determining whether facility repairs or maintenance are necessary.
Prior to this work, there was no standard method for detecting voids nondestructively in the subterranean area below a wharf. FTL performed R&D on physics-based acoustic signal simulations, acoustic processing algorithms, and testing a classification neural network for the detection of voids. Because little to no data of the type required for finding subterranean voids exists, and acquiring field data would require highly invasive processes applied to active piers and wharfs, FTL relied on simulations and the expertise of collaborator Olson Engineering, a service and technology provider that performs similar work with acoustic data when determining pile depths in existing waterfront structures.