GPR signal de-noise method based on variational mode decomposition

Abstract: Compared with traditional empirical mode decomposition (EMD) methods, variational mode decomposition (VMD) has strong theoretical foundation and high operational efficiency. The VMD method is introduced to ground penetrating radar (GPR) signal processing. The characteristics of GPR signals validate the method of signal de-noising based on the VMD principle. The validity and accuracy of the method are further verified via Ricker wavelet and forward model GPR de-noising experiments. The method of VMD is evaluated in comparison with traditional wavelet transform (WT) and EEMD (ensemble EMD) methods. The method is subsequently used to analyze a GPR signal from a practical engineering case. The results show that the method can effectively remove the noise in the GPR data, and can obtain high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) even under strong background noise.