Direct Laying Of

Optical Fibre Cables

Surveying and planning of project
Cable types
Installation methods
Sur veyi ng and pl anni ng
Do feasibility study on most cost effective and
practical installation method
Obtain way leaves before final decision
Presence of services like crossings, power, water,
petrol pipelines will influence method
Crossings may have to done with overhead routes
Directional boring can be used in special crossings
Soil conditions will influence depth and cost
Vegetation will be important as some are
indigenous
Cable types
Only Corrugated Steel Tape (CST)
optical fibre cables can be directly
buried and ploughed in
Installation methods
Plough in of cable with specialised
machinery
Direct burial of cable
Directional boring
Plough in method
Machinery
Route preparation
Plough in procedure
Reinstatement after plough in process
Machinery required
Suitable machine to do pre-ripping of soil
Cable drum carrier
Excavator (TLB) to do small river and culvert
crossings
Cable trailer for sub ducts if required
Plough in machine
Plough in machine
Cable carrying attachment in front of machine
Hydraulic feeder system on drum with tension
control
Rollers over roof of machine with bend radius
protection for cable and sub duct
Feeder system for marking/danger tape
Plough in attachment at back of machine suitable
to lay multiple services
Plough in machine
Plough in machine
Plough in machine
Route preparation
Do road and railway crossings in advance
Remove all obstructions to plough in machine
in advance provide temporary supports
Do pre-ripping if required at greater depth
Final pre-rip in same direction as plough in
Pre-trench creek and river crossings with TLB
Plough in procedure
Excavate at least 5m at start of route
Position plough in machine over open trench
Load cable drum and feed cable through the chute
If sub duct must be laid in process, it can be fed
from cable trailer or laid out in front of plough in
machine
Load marker tape and feed through 300mm above
sub duct
Plough in procedure (contd.)
Ensure correct sequence out of plough in chute
Provide sufficient cable slack for splicing
Start machine slowly and hold services by hand
in trench
Minimise stoppages during plough in process
Monitor marker tape at feeding system
Repeat same process at end of each length
Plough in process can be stopped in middle of
length at night
Inner ducts must be jointed with Plasson fittings
in trench
Build manholes and jointing pits after plough in
process
Plough cable in as near as possible at end of
route and excavate trench as at start
Test all fibres after plough in process to verify
integrity
Plough in procedure (contd.)
Plough in machine
Reinstatement after plough in process
No compaction of disturbed area is necessary
Back blading with plough machine
Level surface with TLB
Repair all fences
Replace all stays and struts
Direct burial
Applications
Installation method
Applications
In rural areas where plough in can not be done
In urban areas where cables are buried under
layer of ducts which caters for future network
expansion
Road crossings and services that must be
crossed in urban areas will limit cable lengths
that can be ploughed in
Installation method
Excavate trench as per normal requirements
Limit width to 370mm if only cable will be buried
Bedding and padding material river sand or
sieved material not greater than 5mm
Bedding must be 150mm
Lay cable and cover with 150mm padding
Installation method (contd.)
Install ducts if required on top of cable
Use same bedding and padding material for
ducts
Cover cable with 300mm backfill material
Use mechanical compaction to compact backfill
in layers of 300mm
Build manholes and jointing pits for future
development after cable laying
Directional boring
Description
Applications
Machinery
Procedure
Advantages/Disadvantages
Description
Directional boring is the drilling of a required
diameter hole between two points at a specific
depth to accommodate a cable or a duct without
disturbing or damaging any infrastructure
Diagram
Applications
Crossing streets, highways and railway lines
Crossing foundations of buildings
Crossing rivers, pipelines and water drainage
systems
Machinery
Machinery
Procedure
Locate all services
Set up drilling rig
Mix bentonite mix to suit soil formation
Drill pilot hole up to required position
Fit reamer to drill end and secure cable or duct
Pull cable/duct back while hole is reamed
Ensure sufficient slack
Advantages / Disadvantages
Accurate
No trenching and reinstatement of surfaces
Cost effective
Difficult crossings is possible and done safely
Only 300m is possible
Specialised equipment is needed
Too many deviations in hole will make hauling
impossible