Embedded sensing telemetry and a validated explicit finite element digital twin of pressurised uPVC pipe under low velocity impact

Polymeric pipelines are increasingly used for pressurized fluid transport, yet their behavior under accidental low-velocity impact, and the means to monitor it in service, remain underdeveloped relative to metallic systems. This study recasts a combined experimental and numerical investigation of clamped unplasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (uPVC) pipe as the first building block of a physics-based digital twin for polymeric utility pipelines. A drop-weight rig was instrumented with a purpose-built ESP32-S2 sensing unit, using infrared timing gates and a pressure transducer, that streams real impact telemetry: the hammer velocity and the transient internal pressure pulse. Five water-pressurized specimens, spanning 689.48 to 2068.43 kPa, were struck at mid-span by a 4 kg hammer at 5.56 m/s, and a high-fidelity ABAQUS/Explicit counterpart was synchronized against the measured response. As internal pressure rose, the peak contact force increased from 3527 to 4174 N, the permanent deformation fell from 15.1 to 7.0 mm, and the pressure pulse grew while the contact period shortened, all consistent with pressure-induced wall stiffening. The contact-force response was linear up to about 1379 kPa before plateauing at the onset of the burst-pressure regime. Experimental and numerical plastic-zone areas agreed to within 16.9%, a conservative over-prediction the twin corrects during synchronization. On this validated basis, a conceptual digital-twin framework is proposed, enabling real-time damage identification and predictive, surrogate-driven structural health monitoring of polymeric pipelines.