Laying and protecting cable into existing covering surfaces

• US 9,203,226 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): ANDRISH, SEAN D
• Application Number:
  US13/796,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20130287500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 405/154.1, 405/155, 405/179, 405/180, 373/52, 373/55, 371/425, 404/90, 404/91, 404/94, 125/13.01, 125/13.02, 125/13.03, 125/14, 125/15, 299/39.2, 299/39.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. An apparatus for creating a channel through an existing covering surface, the apparatus comprising:

a portable cutting machine including a single blade to cut through the existing covering surface and into a subsurface below the existing covering surface to create the channel, 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 single 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, wherein the single blade is configured to create the channel having the depth of approximately 30.48 cm;

a vacuum system including an inlet shroud covering at least a portion of the single blade, coupled to the portable cutting machine, to evacuate from the channel a volume of debris created by the single blade, wherein the inlet shroud includes at least one vent to further facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel;

a first vehicle coupled to the portable cutting machine, wherein a first portion of the vacuum system is disposed on the first vehicle; and

a second vehicle, wherein a second portion of the vacuum system is disposed on the second vehicle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single blade is configured to create the channel having a width of approximately 3.175 cm.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, 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.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vacuum system further includes 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.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vacuum system is configured to be activated concurrently with an activation of the single blade for creating the channel.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the vacuum system evacuates substantially all the debris created by the single blade constructing the channel thereby leaving the channel and surrounding area free of the debris created by the single blade constructing the channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein an edge of the inlet shroud covering at least a portion of the single blade is parallel to the existing covering surface during concurrently cutting and evacuating of the channel.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the edge of the inlet shroud covering at least a portion of the single blade is proximate to the existing covering surface during concurrently cutting and evacuating of the channel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the existing covering surface is within a neighborhood.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one vent to further facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel overlaps a path of a stream of the debris created by the single blade constructing the channel.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single blade is configured to create the channel having a depth of between 10.16 cm and 30.48 cm.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single blade is circular.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single blade of the portable cutting machine is configured to be raised for inspection or transport.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the channel is an underground cable channel for laying an underground cable.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the underground cable is a fiber optic or electrical cable.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the single blade of the portable cutting machine is configured to cut the underground cable channel in only one pass.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the width of the underground cable channel allows vehicles to traverse the underground cable channel prior to laying the underground cable.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vacuum system is removably coupled to the portable cutting machine via a hose.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle comprises an operator control station including a steering wheel and a seat.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle comprises a plurality of wheels, and wherein at least one wheel of the plurality of wheels includes:

an outer sidewall;

an inner sidewall; and

a circumferential area disposed between the outer sidewall and the inner sidewall, wherein at least one portion of the circumferential area is free of a groove extending from the outer sidewall or the inner sidewall.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the outer sidewall and the inner sidewall are substantially planar.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one portion of the circumferential area disposed between the outer sidewall and the inner sidewall is substantially free of a tread.

23. An apparatus for constructing an underground cable line in situ through an existing covering surface, the apparatus comprising:

a portable cutting machine including a single blade to cut through the existing covering surface and into a subsurface below the existing covering surface to create a channel, 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 single 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, wherein the single blade is configured to create the channel having the depth of approximately 30.48 cm;

a vacuuming system including an inlet shroud covering at least a portion of the single blade, coupled to the portable cutting machine, to evacuate from the channel a volume of debris created by the single blade, wherein the inlet shroud includes at least one vent to further facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel;

a cable laying machine configured to lay a cable into the channel;

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

a first vehicle coupled to the portable cutting machine, wherein a first portion of the vacuum system is disposed on the first vehicle; and

a second vehicle, wherein a second portion of the vacuum system is disposed on the second vehicle.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the single blade is configured to create the channel having a width of approximately 3.175 cm.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, 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.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the vacuum system further includes 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.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the vacuum system is configured to be activated concurrently with an activation of the single blade for creating the channel.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the single blade is configured to create the channel having a depth of between 10.16 cm and 30.48 cm.

29. An apparatus for creating a channel through an existing covering surface, the apparatus comprising:

a portable cutting machine including a blade to cut through the existing covering surface and into a subsurface below the existing covering surface to create the channel, 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 blade being configured to create the channel having a channel depth of between 10.16 cm and 30.48 cm and a channel width between 1.27 cm and 3.8 cm;

a vacuum system including an inlet shroud covering at least a portion of the blade, coupled to the portable cutting machine, to evacuate from the channel a volume of debris created by the blade; and

a first vehicle coupled to the portable cutting machine, wherein the first vehicle and the portable cutting machine create the channel in only a single swath for a distance of at least 45.72 meters.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the blade is a single blade.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the inlet shroud includes at least one vent to further facilitate suction of the volume of debris from the channel.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a second vehicle, wherein:

a first portion of the vacuum system is disposed on the first vehicle; and

a second portion of the vacuum system is disposed on the second vehicle.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first vehicle comprises an operator control station including a steering wheel and a seat.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first vehicle comprises a plurality of wheels, and wherein at least one wheel of the plurality of wheels includes:

an outer sidewall;

an inner sidewall; and

a circumferential area disposed between the outer sidewall and the inner sidewall, wherein at least one portion of the circumferential area is free of a groove extending from the outer sidewall or the inner sidewall.