LAYING AND PROTECTING CABLE INTO EXISTING COVERING SURFACES

• US 20130287500A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Certusview Technologies LLC (Dycom Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Miller, Daniel Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,203,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 405/174
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/8816 Mobile land installations
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/02 for digging trenches or ditches machines for making foundation slots E02F3/205, E02F3/475 take precedence; agricultural ploughs for working ridges A01B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/08 with digging wheels turning round an axis E02F5/109 takes precedence; with digging wheels per se E02F3/18
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/10 with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables laying pipes per se F16L1/00, making pipes in situ F16L1/038; laying electric cables per se H02G1/06; drainage device- laying apparatus E02B11/02
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/101 forming during digging, e.g. underground canalisations or conduits, by bending or twisting a strip of pliable material; by extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/12 with equipment for back-filling trenches or ditches
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 1/06 for laying cables, e.g. laying apparatus on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 9/00 Installations of electric cables or lines in or on the ground or water

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for cutting a trench (e.g., for a fiber optic cable or wire conductors) in an existing covering surface (e.g., a road surface), wherein the trench has a depth of approximately 10 to 12 inches and a width of approximately 0.5 to 1.25 inches. Debris from the cut trench is evacuated (e.g., vacuumed) from the trench as the trench is cut. The trench may be backfilled by flowing a non-shrinking composition into at least a portion of the trench and, after hardening of the non-shrinking composition, applying a topping material to a remaining portion of the trench. In one example, the non-shrinking composition is configured to rigidify within one hour of being flowed into the trench, be substantially impermeable thereafter (e.g., having a hydraulic permeability of less than 0.0000001 cm/s upon drying), and be non-compressible and non-expanding.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. An apparatus for creating a channel through an existing covering surface disposed over a subsurface below the existing covering surface, the existing covering surface comprising a first material selected from a group consisting of pavement, paving, concrete, asphalt, blacktop, cobblestone and brick, and the subsurface comprising a second material different from the first material, the apparatus comprising:

a portable cutting machine including a blade to cut through the existing covering surface and into the subsurface to create a channel, the blade being configured to create the channel having a depth greater than a depth of the existing covering surface and a width between 1.27 cm and 3.8 cm; and

a vacuum system, coupled to the portable cutting machine, to evacuate from the channel a volume of debris created by the blade.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the blade is configured to create the channel having a depth of approximately 30.48 cm.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the blade is configured to create the channel having a width of approximately 3.175 cm.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the portable cutting machine is configured to create the channel in only a single swath for a distance of at least 45.72 meters.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the vacuum system includes an inlet shroud, a Y-duct, and at least two evacuation ducts coupled to the Y-duct and the inlet shroud, so as to facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel into the at least two evacuation ducts.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the inlet shroud includes at least one vent to further facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel into the at least two evacuation ducts.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the vacuum system is configured to be activated concurrently with an activation of the blade for creating the channel.

9. An apparatus for constructing an underground cable line in situ through an existing covering surface disposed over a subsurface below the existing covering surface, the existing covering surface comprising a first material selected from a group consisting of pavement, paving, concrete, asphalt, blacktop, cobblestone and brick, and the subsurface comprising a second material different from the first material, the apparatus comprising:

a portable cutting machine including a blade to cut through the existing covering surface and into the subsurface to create a channel, the blade being configured to create the channel having a depth greater than a depth of the existing covering surface and a width between 1.27 cm and 3.8 cm;

a vacuuming system, coupled to the portable cutting machine, to evacuate from the channel a volume of debris created by the blade;

a cable laying machine configured to lay a cable into the void; and

a flowing machine configured to dispense a volume of a flowable composition into a portion of the channel.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the blade is configured to create the channel having a depth of approximately 30.48 cm.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the blade is configured to create the channel having a width of approximately 3.175 cm.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the portable cutting machine is configured to create the channel in only a single swath for a distance of at least 45.72 meters.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vacuum system includes an inlet shroud, a Y-duct, and at least two evacuation ducts coupled to the Y-duct and the inlet shroud, so as to facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel into the at least two evacuation ducts.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the inlet shroud includes at least one vent to further facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel into the at least two evacuation ducts.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the vacuum system is configured to be activated concurrently with an activation of the blade for creating the channel.

16. A method for constructing an underground cable line in-situ through an existing covering surface disposed over a subsurface below the existing covering surface, the existing covering surface comprising a first material selected from a group consisting of pavement, paving, concrete, asphalt, blacktop, cobblestone and brick, and the subsurface comprising a second material different from the first material, the method comprising:

A) cutting the existing covering surface to create a void through the existing covering surface and into the second material of the subsurface below the existing covering surface and thereby creating a volume of debris, wherein the void has a depth greater than the existing covering surface and a width between 1.27 cm and 3.8 cm;

B) evacuating the volume of debris from at least the void;

C) laying a cable into the void; and

D) flowing a flowable composition into a portion of the void so as to encase the cable.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

E) after hardening of the flowable composition, applying a topping material to a remaining portion of the void.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the void has a depth of approximately 30.48 cm.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein evacuating the volume of debris from at least the void comprises:

vacuuming the volume of debris concurrently with cutting the existing covering surface to create the void through the existing covering surface and into the second material of the subsurface below the existing covering surface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein vacuuming the volume of debris concurrently with cutting the existing covering surface to create the void through the existing covering surface and into the second material of the subsurface below the existing covering surface comprises:

cooling a cutting blade used in cutting the existing covering surface to create the void through the existing covering surface and into the second material of the subsurface below the existing covering surface and;

capturing a stream of loose debris created by the cutting blade.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein flowing a flowable composition into a portion of the void so as to encase the cable comprises:

pumping said flowable composition into the void.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein flowing a flowable composition into a portion of the void so as to encase the cable comprises:

pouring said flowable composition into the void.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein after hardening of the flowable composition, applying a topping material to a remaining portion of the void comprises:

allowing a period of time not to exceed twelve hours to pass for setting and rigidifying of said flowable composition prior to applying the topping material.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein said flowable composition is substantially impermeable upon drying.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition is configured to shrink less than one percent upon drying at ambient temperatures.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition is configured to rigidify within one hour of being flowed into the portion of the channel.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition is configured so as to substantially mitigate negative affects of groundwater.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition has a hydraulic permeability of less than 0.0000001 cm/s upon drying.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition is configured to be viscid and have a viscosity that facilitates flowing.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition is configured to be non-compressible.

31. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition is configured to be non-expanding.

32. The method of claim 16, wherein the flowable composition includes a plaster, grout, or a mortar substance.

33. The method of claim 16, wherein the act of cutting the existing covering surface to create a void through the existing covering surface is carried out continuously in one and only one swath from a starting point A to a finishing point B, and wherein the length of the swath is at least 45.72 meters.