Design Excavator with Ground Penetrating
Radar to Detect underground Object
Sumar Hadi1, Susilo Adi Widyanto2, Paryanto3, Wijdan Muhammad Fawwaz4
Abstract: To detect the state and objects that are in the
ground used Ground penetrating radar paired on the
excavator that will be able to display the picture in the soil to
be excavated. This can lead to more secure and optimal
excavation process. In GPR systems the equipment used
consists of the control unit, the sending antenna and the
receiving antenna, the appropriate data storage and display
equipment. GPR applications can be used to survey hidden
objects in shallow, deep, and concrete spots. The advantage of
using GPR is relatively easy to do and not destructive, the
antenna does not have to be in direct contact with the ground
surface, thereby facilitating and accelerating the
measurement. The main limitation of GPR is its specific
performance location, and GPR antennas are generally
optimized for only certain pulse durations. So if GPR works
with different impulses it requires different antennas. This
can make the excavation process more safe and optimal.
Key Words : Ground Penetrating Radar, Antena, Excavator.
I. INTRODUCTION
Civil works in large-scale buildings do not escape
from the tools to complete the job properly and can be
completed in the expected time, in the end required
consideration of using heavy equipment tailored to the
conditions of the work concerned. This can not be avoided
anymore considering the use of manpower manually with
conventional tools is not efficient and able to complete the
target work with maximum results and on time with a
heavy workload. Construction of buildings, bridges, roads
and so forth is a big job that requires heavy equipment in
the implementation. (Ahmad, 2005). Excavators are
extensively used in construction, mining, agriculture, and
waste disposal field applications (Le, et al.,2013; Le, et
al.,2011; Nam & Park 2015).
Under the ground there are so many components
that block the excavation process such as pipes, wires, and
wires. It causes some problems that cause losses and the
excavation process is not optimal. The problem can lead to
disruption to public services, daily life, and commerce,
utility strike accidents causing injury, loss of life, and
property damage that causes significant financial loss. For
example, in 1995, a construction worker who piled a pile
for a new parking deck, destroying a power line that had a
high-voltage fault serving Newark International Airport.
As a result of power loss, fuel-jet pumps, escalators and
automatic doors become inoperable. Hundreds of flights
were canceled and thousands of passengers abandoned
until the cables were repaired (New York Times, 1995). In
2007, the excavation strike at the main high-pressure gas
in Cary, North Carolina produced a 100-foot-high fireball
that burned for almost 6 hours and consequently, the
evacuation of nearby residents and the closure of major
roads (WRAL Archives, 2007). In 2010, an excavator
struck a gas pipeline near Darrouzett, Texas and killed two
workers and injured one. (Wilder, 2010) The Dangerous
Pipeline and Safety Materials Safety Administration Office
(PHMSA), an agency that stores data for all serious
incidents reported as a result of a pipeline strike, reported
a total of 2770 serious incidents from 2001 to 2010, of
which nearly 20% (544 incidents) were unearthed and
resulted in a total of 37 fatalities, 152 injuries, and $ 200
million in property damage (PMHSA, 2010). Therefore it
takes a detector of objects that are underground so that
excavation by the buffer can run smoothly.
The use of the first electromagnetic signal to
determine the existence of a terrestrial remote object is
usually associated with Hülsmeyer in 1904. Hülsenbeck's
work in 1926 was seen as the first use of pulse techniques
to determine hidden structures. After the 1930s, pulse
techniques have been developed to investigate the depth of
various mediums as possible and to detect objects buried in
the ground (Daniel 1996).
II. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM
To facilitate the excavation process used a tool that
can detect underground circumstances that can not be seen
from the outside of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
paired on the excavator.
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a tool used for
the process of detection of objects buried underground with
a certain depth level, by using radio waves. In GPR systems
the equipment used consists of the control unit, the sending
antenna and the receiving antenna, the appropriate data
storage and display equipment. GPR applications can be
used to survey hidden objects in shallow, deep, and
concrete spots. The advantage of using GPR is relatively
easy to do and not destructive, the antenna does not have to
be in direct contact with the ground surface, thereby
facilitating and accelerating the measurement. The main
limitation of GPR is its specific performance location, and
GPR antennas are generally optimized for only certain
pulse durations. So if GPR works with different impulses
it requires different antennas.
III. THE METHODOLOGY
3.1. Design of an Excavator
In general the construction of Excavator consists of
attachment and Base Machine which respectively includec
(Saputra, 2015):
1. Attachments consist of:
 a. Boom is an attachment that connects base frame to
arm of a certain length to reach the loading / unloading
distance.
b. Arm is an attachment that connects the boom to
Bucket.
c. Bucket is an attachment that is directly related to the
material at the time of loading.
2. Base Machine consists of:
a. Base Frame is a section consisting of cabin (for
operator operational center), machine, counter weight and
other components above frame.
b. Track Frame is a component consisting of center
frame and crawler frame which become operational support
of Excavator.
c. Track Shoe is a component that works like a wheel on
Figure 3. Cabin design (Solidworks 2017)
a vehicle, to move the Excavator. To clarify the
construction of the Excavator and its parts can be seen in
the Figure 1:

Figure 1. Excavator contruction and parts (Komatsu,

2009) Figure 4. Frame design (Solidworks 2017)

In the excavator section as shown in Figure 2. GPR is

placed on the underside of the frame of the excavator for
easier positioning. In making the design used software
solidwork 2017 by using alloy steel material.

Figure 5. Bucket design (Solidworks 2017)

Figure 2. GPR position in excavator (Solidworks

2017)

Figure 6. Boom design (Solidworks 2017)
Figure 7. Arm design (Solidworks 2017)
3.2. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a tool used for the
detection of objects buried underground with a certain
depth, using radio waves, usually in the range of 10 MHz to
1GHz.
As with most radar systems, the GPR system consists of
a sender (trasmiter), an antenna connected to a pulse source,
and a receiver, an antenna connected to a signal processing
unit and an image. As for determining the type of antenna
used, the transmitted signal and the signal processing
method depend on several things, namely:
• Type of object to detect
• Depth of Object, and
• Electrical characteristics of the soil medium
From the detection process as above, it will get an image
of the location and form of objects located under the
ground. To produce good detection, a GPR system must
meet the following four requirements (Ligthart, 2004):
• Efficient radiation clutch into the ground,
• Penetration of efficient electromagnetic waves,
• Produce signals with large amplitude of detected
objects,
• enough bandwidth to produce good resolution
3.3. How GPR works
Ground Penetrating Radar or GPR also has the same
way of working with conventional radars. GPR sends an
energy pulse of 10 to 1000 MHz into the ground of an
antenna, and then records its reflections in a very short
period of time. Figure 1 shows the working scheme of GPR.
Figure 8. GPR Scheme
If a GPR pulse of a layer or object with a different
dielectric constant, the pulse will be reflected back,
received by the receiver antenna, the time and the pulse are
recorded, as shown in Figure 3.1. In many cases, the
transmitter antenna and receiver antenna are the same.
Although GPR operates just like a conventional radar
system in general, it means that it sends electromagnetic
waves and receives back radar, which is then processed to
see the target. However, GPR is oriented by three
fundamental principles that distinguish it from
conventional radar systems.
Firstly, the operating bandwidth of GPR is placed at low
frequencies to gain sufficient penetration depth into the
ground. In fact, the penetration depth of the emitted signal
is generally very limited in accordance with its wavelength.
On the other hand, the radar should be able to provide
adequate down-range resolution, for which the operating
bandwidth required operating bandwidth of tens to
hundreds of megahertz. The bandwidth of this operation
corresponds to the middle frequency of the radar, which
causes the relative bandwidth (the ratio of bandwidth to the
center frequency) to close one or more times. This means
that GPR is ultra wideband and different from conventional
radar systems, operating at higher frequency bands. The
compromise between depth of penetration and resolution
should always be done, deeper penetration can be achieved
using lower frequencies but with lower down-range
resolution as well.
Secondly, unlike conventional radar systems GPR
operates near ground level. This results in roughness of the
soil surface and soil homogeneity can increase clutter. In
many cases GPR users are forced to perform advanced minimized except in certain cases where data should be
image processing to distinguish the target from the clutter. interpreted as soon as they are recorded.
Thirdly, most GPRs are short-range radar systems. In
this condition the target is usually located in the near field
or middle field so that the field characteristics near the
antenna becomes very important. This is very different IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
from the conventional radar, which operates on far field.
As the GPR unit moves along the survey line, the energy 4.1. Analysis of Attachment Excavator
pulse is transmitted from the transmission antenna and its For analysis of excavator attachment using Solidwork
reflection is received by the receiver antenna (transmitting analysis. Analysis excavator attachment when given force
antenna and receiver antenna can be the same). The receiver of 100000 Newton as described below.
antenna sends signals to the recorder. The data is recorded a. Stress Analysis (Von Mises)
Tension is set force (force) on an object surface.
on a visual readout, paper chart, computer, or a combination
The narrower area of the surface but the style remains,
of all three.
the greater the stress. The tension is indicated on the
red shades, the smallest is the most blue. While the
3.4 Ground Penetrating Radar Component Systems area is an area with medium tension yellow-green-blue
The GPR system used to measure subsurface conditions color.
consists of the control unit, the sending antenna and the
receiving antenna, the appropriate data storage and display
equipment.
The radar control unit produces a synchronized pulse
pulse to the electronic sender and receiver in the antenna.
This pulse controls the electronic sender and receiver to
produce a sample of waves from the reflected radar pulse.
An antenna is a transducer that converts electric current
to metal antenna elements (usually a simple bowtie-dipole
antenna) to transmit electromagnetic waves to be
propagated into the material. The antenna emits
electromagnetic energy when there is a change of current
acceleration on the antenna. Radiation occurs along the line,
and the radiation occurs all the time when there is a change
in the direction of the current (eg at the end of the antenna
element). Controlling and directing electromagnetic energy Figure 9. Tension analysis results in bucket section
from the antenna is the goal of designing the antenna. (Solidwork, 2017)
Antenna also converts electromagnetic waves to currents on
an antenna element, acting as a recipient of electromagnetic
energy by capturing electromagnetic waves.
The mid-frequency antennas provided for commercial
purposes range from 10 to 1000 MHz. This antenna
produces pulses that typically have 2 or 3 octav bandwidth.
In general, low frequency antennas can provide higher
penetration depths but have lower resolutions compared to
high frequency antennas.
The GPR system is digitally controlled, and data is
always digitally recorded for the needs of final survey and
display processing. The digital control and display portion
of the GPR system generally consists of a microprocessor,
memory, and mass storage that is the medium for storing Figure 10. Tension analysis results in boom section
measurement fields. (Solidwork, 2017)
A small microcomputer and a standard operating system
are often used to control the process of measuring, storing
data, and acting as a liaison with users. The data is likely to
experience a filtering process in the field to remove noise,
or rough data may be recorded first and data processing to
eliminate noise is done at a later time. Field filtration to
remove noise consisting of electronic filtering and / or
digital filtering is done first to record data on the data
storage medium. Normal filtering fields should be
 Figure 11. Tension analysis results in arm section
(Solidwork, 2017)
Figure 15. Displacement analysis results in arm section
Based on the above simulation results, the
excavator attachment is declared safe because there is
no red gradation.
b. Analysis Changes Shape (Displacement)
Displacement is the change in shape on the body
is subjected to force. The part that suffered the greatest
displacement of this framework is the most red-
colored area, and the parts that have the smallest
displacement is the most blue. Displacement
simulation results can be seen in the figure below.
Figure 13 . Displacement analysis results in bucket
section (Solidwork, 2017)
Figure 16. Safety factor analysis results in bucket section
Figure 14 . Displacement analysis results in boom section
(Solidwork, 2017)
(Solidwork, 2017)
c. Safety Factor (Factor of Safety)
The safety factor is the main criterion used in
determining the quality of a product. Benchmark, if
the minimum FOS value is less than 1, the product
quality is bad, it is not safe for consumption, is likely
to endanger, otherwise if the FOS value of more than
one (usually between 1-3) then the product of good
quality, safe and suitable for consumption. However,
if the value of the minimum FOS reach 3 digits or
more (eg, 100 or more) then the product is safe, of
good quality but the price is very expensive and tend
to weigh large, because the material used is too much
(Solidwork, 2017)

Figure 17. Safety factor analysis results in boom section
(Solidwork, 2017)
Figure 18. Safety factor analysis results in arm section
(Solidwork, 2017)
In the above simulation, the smallest FOS values are 6,
3.8, and 47 so it can be declared safe and of good quality.
3.4 Benefits of Ground Penetrating Radar
One of the advantages of GPR measurement is that it is
relatively easy to do and not destructive. Antenna can be
carried by vehicles from 0.8 to 8 kph, or more, capable of
generating time units that can be considered. GPR data can
often be interpreted correctly on the ground without data
processing. GPR graph data displays often resemble
transverse pieces of soil layers. When GPR data is collected
at close distances (less than 1 meter), the data can be used
to produce dimensional views that can improve the ability
to interpret under-ground conditions.
On the other hand the main advantage of the GPR
technique is that the antenna does not have to be in direct
contact with the ground surface, thereby facilitating and
accelerating the measurement. Optimum performance,
especially with a small distance from the antenna to the
ground surface, will usually be observable only by using the
detail values of the geometry and the nature of the soil.
Another advantage of a radar system is its ability to
detect a given target type and generate target images in 3
dimensions. In materials that have high low frequency
conductivity, such as brine, clay and ore or conductive
minerals, there will be a large signal attenuation. This can
be reduced by lowering the transmitted frequency, but it can
also reduce the resolution between targets.
3.5 Limitations Ground Penetrating Radar
The main limitation of GPR is its specific location of
performance. Often, the penetration depth is limited by the
presence of clay mineralogy or pores of high conductivity
fluid which can inhibit the achievement of high resolution
and penetration depth. In addition, different soil material
conditions at each location cause the resolution and depth
of penetration to be altered as well so to get a resolution and
constant penetration depth will inevitably have to change
the frequency and duration of the pulse. Therefore some
GPR systems are equipped with pulse generators for
impulse transmission with different durations for different
penetration depths. GPR antennas are however generally
optimized only for the duration of certain pulses. So if GPR
works with different impulses it requires different antennas.
Repeated antenna replacement is inefficient, troublesome
process and even an annoying activity for users especially
for frequent surveys.
V. CONCLUSION
This journal presents the application of ground
penetrating radar in an excavator that works so before
digging we can detect and know the state in the soil to be
excavated. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a tool used
for the process of detection of objects buried underground
with a certain depth level, by using radio waves. The GPR
equipment used consists of the control unit, the sending
antenna and the receiving antenna, the appropriate data
storage and display equipment. The advantage of using
GPR is relatively easy to do and not damaging, and the
antenna does not have to be in direct contact with the
ground surface. The main limitation of GPR is its specific
performance location, and GPR antennas are generally
optimized for only certain pulse durations. With the
installation of ground penetrating radar (GPR) on the
excavator leads to a more secure and optimal excavation
process. Excavator is declared safe to lift the load up to
100000 Newton.
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