Detection of the Underground Water Leak by Using Vibration Intensity Method

Nowadays, we have a lot of pipes underground for water service or gas supply. If leakage at these pipes occurs, it will not only come to huge economical loss, but also result in the cause of serious accident. Therefore, the leakage must be detected at fast as possible to be repaired. However, the identification of the leak location is difficult because the pipes are invisible. In the case of water leak, the detection has been relied upon the experts who have such skills that they can identify the leak location by hearing the noise of surface vibration on the ground. According to the lack of experts, however, more convenient and effective approach has been desired instead of the existing method. This paper describes the application of vibration intensity measurement for the detection of water leak location. The analytical model of the surface vibration on the ground is shown and the spatial distribution is estimated. Furthermore, the simulation of vibration intensity measurement is performed and the improvement in accuracy is proposed.