Output details

Determining the location of buried plastic water pipes from measurements of ground surface vibration

Significance of output:

Streetworks cost the UK ~£7bn annually. To minimize these costs, ‘Mapping the Underworld’ (MTU - multi-disciplinary, multi-university, EPSRC-funded), was established in 2004 to develop tools for locating buried utilities without excavation (www.mappingtheunderworld.ac.uk). In 2008, MTU was awarded £3.5M to develop a prototype multi-sensor device that can detect all of the utility service pipelines and cables beneath the street. MTU has generated widespread interest (US collaboration; >25 industry partners; dedicated BBC Radio 4 programme). Vibro-acoustics is one of the four main technologies to be incorporated. This paper describes one of the essential MTU vibro-acoustic techniques for locating buried pipes.