The rapid detection and localisation of pipe burst incidents in water pipe systems are crucial for timely repair, minimisation of leakage, and assurance of water supply security. However, previous researches have insufficiently emphasised the identification of pressure characteristics during pipe burst, failing to accurate detection and localisation of pipe burst. To address this problem, an experimental system was designed to elucidate the complete dynamic process of pipe burst pressure fluctuations. Specifically, the continuous transition from steady state to transient state and back to steady state in the hydraulic state of the system after a pipe burst event, was observed both in time and space dimensions. The effects of initial pressure and flow rate at steady state, location and size of pipe burst on pressure characteristics were carefully investigated. Subsequently, a pipe burst model considering unsteady friction effect was developed and validated through experiments. Based on the above study, analytical solution regarding pressure drop during burst events and steady-state pressure at the burst point after burst events were derived to quantify the influence laws of different parameters and validated by the pipe burst model. The obtained results are characterised by the dominance analysis so as to explore the importance ranking of different factors to the pressure drop and steady-state burst pressure in the pipeline system. The analysis solution of pressure drop indicates the following ranking of factors from high to low is: pipe/burst area ratio, initial steady-state pressure at the burst point, wave speed; while the ranking of influencing factors for steady-state burst pressure from high to low is: the boundary pressures, the location of the pipe burst, the initial steady state flow rate, and the burst outflow coefficient. The research findings can provide theoretical and practical guidance for the rapid diagnosis and quantitative analysis of burst pipes.
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