Prospects of Improving the Vibroacoustic Method for Locating Buried Non-Metallic Pipelines

Acoustic methods are a promising direction when determining the position of buried non-metallic pipelines. Under difficult soil conditions, one of the most effective methods is the vibroacoustic method, which has a maximum range of application when acoustic waves propagate through the transported medium. However, due to limited energy input into the pipeline, signal detection at significant distances from the source becomes challenging. This article considers the mechanism of acoustic oscillations attenuation in pipes and suggests possible directions for optimization of the investigated technology. The evaluation of mathematical modeling methods for the investigated process is conducted, and the key signal attenuation relationships are presented. The analysis allowed us to establish that the vibroacoustic method has the potential of increasing the efficiency by approximately 10–20%.