Experimental Verification on Early Detection of Third-Party Interference Damage in Buried Pipelines

Damage to buried pipelines caused by third-party interference can lead to explosions, environmental pollution, ground settlement as well as economic losses. To prevent such damages, early detection technologies are required for identifying third-party interference that could affect these pipelines. Accordingly, vibration-based monitoring techniques have been extensively researched, and source localization based on the time difference of arrival have gained attention due to their effectiveness. This study aims to detect third-party interference to buried pipelines at an early stage to prevent pipeline damage. The accelerometers were attached to in-service waterwork pipelines with a diameter of 2,200 mm, a total length of 255 m, and an installation depth of 3 m to detect signals of third-party interference. The optimal frequency band for calculating the source location was determined by the results of frequency analysis. Our empirical research yielded the early detection of third-party interference in the tested pipeline, which in good agreement with the excavation position.