Improved leak detection methods for buried plastic PIPES based on measurements of ground-borne vibration

Abstract

This project concerns leak detection in plastic water distribution pipes. It involves two research teams, one from UNESP in Brazil, and one from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton, UK. The focus will be on a fundamental investigation of ground-borne vibration due to a leak in a buried pipe. Measurements will be made in the SABESP in Brazil and at a test-site in the UK. These data, along with archived data sets, will be analyzed to determine the mechanisms of noise propagation from the leak to the ground surface in soils found in Brazil and in soils found in the UK. It is envisaged that the work in this project will form the basis of linked projects on a new generation of Ground Listening Devices (GLDs) to be submitted to FAPESP (Brazil) and EPSRC (UK). (AU)