Fractal Characteristics of Water Outflows on the Soil Surface after a Pipe Failure

Abstract

Water pipe failures result in real water losses in the form of water outflowing into the porous medium, such as the surrounding soil. Such an outflow may result in the creation of suffosion holes. The appropriate management of the water supply network may contribute to reducing the number of failures, but due to their random nature, it is not possible to completely eliminate them. Therefore, alternative solutions are being sought to reduce the effects of the failures. This article presents a fragment of the results from a broader scope of the research, which attempted to determine the outflow zone in relation to the fractal characteristics of water outflows. The research included the analysis of the actual geometric structures created by the water outflows, which were simplified into linear structures using isometric transformations. The structures were analyzed in terms of the parameters characterizing them, including their fractal dimensions. As a result, it was found that there was no relationship between the analyzed fractal parameters and the leakage area or hydraulic pressure in the water pipe. However, the influence of the number of points forming each linear structure on the analyzed parameters was shown. This allowed for the determination of further research aimed at estimating the size of the water outflow zone after the unsealing of an underground water supply pipe.