| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/C547373/1 |
| Title: |
Mapping the Underworld: Enhanced Methods for the Detection of Buried Assets |
| Principal Investigator: |
Burd, Professor HJ |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Engineering Science |
| Organisation: |
University of Oxford |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
18 April 2005 |
Ends: |
17 October 2008 |
Value (£): |
189,663
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Acoustics |
Construction Ops & Management |
| Ground Engineering |
Information & Knowledge Mgmt |
| Instrumentation Eng. & Dev. |
Pavement Engineering |
| Urban & Land Management |
Water Engineering |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Construction |
Environment |
| Transport Systems and Vehicles |
Water |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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During the last 150 years or so, an extensive infrastructure of buried pipes and cables has been installed. This network of underground assets is needed for the transport of water, sewage and gas, for the transmission of electrical power and for data communication purposes. Many of these assets (particularly those associated with water, gas and sewage) are nearing the end of their practical life and, in the coming decades, these will need to be replaced. In addition to this replacement program, new assets (e.g. associated with new housing developments) will continue to be installed.Construction procedures for the repair, replacement and installation of buried assets are often based on the use of traditional trenching methods. Increasingly, however, repair and installation work is being conducted using trenchless methods. For all construction procedures, however, it is important to avoid damaging existing assets when any new construction activity is undertaken. (Damage could be caused by, for example, a JCB digger striking a cable or by the drill head associated with a trenchless method striking a gas main). If damage is to be avoided, then accurate location data on existing buried assets is needed.Unfortunately, available records on the location of buried assets are incomplete. Designers and specifiers therefore need to supplement the available data by conducting their own surveys on the location of any buried assets near to the site of any proposed new construction activity. Although survey methods (e.g. ground probing radar and other electromagnetic techniques) are available, they are currently incapable of providing complete location data of the required quality.This project is aimed at developing new methods of improving the visibility of underground pipes when surveyed from the ground surface using electromagnetic techniques. A system of 'resonant labels' will be developed. These are relatively simple metallic structures that could be encapsulated within a new pipe prior to installation. The purpose of the labels is to provide an effective means of reflecting electromagnetic signals at predetermined frequencies. The system will operate in much the same way as the reflector on a bicycle provides enhanced visibility when illuminated by the lights of a car.Research will be conducted on the electromagnetic characteristics of a variety of soil types to determine appropriate frequencies for use in connection with the resonant label system. Initially, the research will be laboratory-based. In the final stages of the project, however, tests will be conducted at field scale.The research will lead to cost-effective methods of 'labelling' new pipes so that they can be effectively located, when required, in the future.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
http://www.oxems.com/ |
| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.ox.ac.uk |