Research on Underground Positioning Technology for Buried PE Pipes Based on Acoustic Waveguide Resonance

Polyethylene (PE) pipes have been widely utilized in urban water supply and gas transportation fields due to their corrosion resistance, high impact resistance, and long lifespan. However, the nonmetallic nature of PE pipes poses challenges for precise positioning and maintenance, rendering traditional metal pipeline detection techniques unsuitable. This article proposes a pipeline excitation method based on acoustic waveguide resonance for locating buried PE pipes. The study first introduces the theoretical basis of acoustic waveguides, including the physical laws of sound vibration and the wave equation of sound waves in ideal homogeneous fluid media. Through finite element simulation, the resonance characteristics of sound waves in straight pipes and T-junction pipes are analyzed, along with the influence of different pipe diameters, pressure levels, and propagation distances on resonance peak values. In the experimental section, a complete excitation source system and data acquisition system are constructed, and experiments are conducted by burying PE pipes for signal collection under various burial depths and conditions. The results indicate that the horizontal orientation of the pipe can be determined by observing the maximum signal amplitude, while an algorithm based on frequency-selective depth positioning can effectively estimate the burial depth of the pipe. While the experiments were conducted on a buried PE pipeline with a depth of 1 m and a diameter of 110 cm, the proposed method demonstrates the potential for the detection of various types of pipelines buried at greater depths.