Abstract : Time-reversal (TR) techniques recently adopted from acoustics to guided wave propagation along transmission lines have proven to be effectual in locating soft faults in different wire network configurations. In this paper, we apply the TR multiple signal classification (TR-MUSIC) technique to cable testing. TR-MUSIC is shown to provide spatial resolutions in the mm range, while using continuous-wave test signals. On the contrary, the well known time-domain reflectometry (TDR) methods would require large bandwidths in the order of gigahertz for a similar performance. The TR-MUSIC accuracy is demonstrated experimentally for locating both single and multiple soft faults in several cable networks.
