Accomando, Filippo (2024) Realization of an Unmanned Aircraft Magnetometer System. [Tesi di dottorato]

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The use of drones has become a reliable strategy that can replace conventional high-altitude manned and ground surveys for most magnetic method applications, thanks to numerous technical reasons. However, to be considered a new viable acquisition approach, this research field has to deal some key issues of primary interest. Therefore, a study aimed at describing the solutions to find the correct employment of this new strategy helps to prove the real advantages with respect to common ground and high-altitude surveying methods. The main goal of this thesis is to conduct aeromagnetic surveys using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Specifically, the feasibility of a Micro-Fabricated Atomic Magnetometer (MFAM) integrated on multi-rotor UAVs is studied, and several flight designs are investigated, as well as workflow possibilities for optimal data analysis and processing. Despite a large and recent amount of literature available on UAV-borne aeromagnetic systems, this thesis provides original contributions useful for considering this technique as a new trusted geophysical surveying method presenting magnetic investigations of different interest. Endmembers of two flight configurations, favoring the stability of the system during flight or the minimization of the mobile platform noise, were compared. Results demonstrate that careful processing can return high quality drone-borne data using both flight configurations. The optimal flight solution can be chosen depending on the survey target and flight conditions. These conclusions allow planning a UAV magnetic survey to map a magmatic dike embedded and scattered among the high vertical steps of a calcareous quarry, whereas outside the excavated area, the steep mountain slope covered by dense bush vegetation makes direct inspection and geological mapping a challenging task. Extremely rugged terrain made the UAV-based magnetic survey the preferred acquisition strategy. For the first time, a vertical gradient configuration for UAV surveying was designed and compared with terrestrial datasets in different archaeological sites of interest using the MFAM. The results indicate that UAV-borne aeromagnetic systems, even in a vertical gradient configuration, can replace the high quality and resolution typical of conventional terrestrial surveys. The thesis presents a variety of applications conducted over sites of geological, archaeological, and engineering interest, through different solutions of flight design and sensor integration. The document provides valuable insights for the correct deployment of UAV technologies for magnetic surveys and their future developments.

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