Module Id : TOFCLAY001

OF Cable Laying

1
 Topics Covered
 Necessity of Laying
 Inspection & Survey
 Estimates & Tender
 Types of Pipes Used
 Trenching
 Laying

2
 Necessity of OF Cable Laying
Network Expansion
Developments
Diversity Route
New Technology Introduction
Customers Demand
Re-engineering of Existing Routes
Forecast from Engg./ Traffic Units
Junction Network
Route Protection

3
 Inspection
The route is inspected to decide that conditions for
smooth maintenance and operation (e.g. approach
road in good condition) are available.
Decision regarding the side of the road on which
trenching to be carried out is also to be taken into
consideration during inspection.
This decision is based on obstruction based on
route
Simultaneously route diagram is prepared showing
road crossing, railway crossing if any, rivers, bridges,
culverts etc with their lengths so that the exact
quantity of GI pipes RCC half/full round pipes etc
can be calculated
4
 Survey of Routes
After selection of a route, survey is conducted
to know exactly
 - Whether the route is feasible to take up the
work or not
Exact details of strata to carryout estimation so
that economical viability of route can be
ascertained

5
 Selection of Route
Accommodation of other public utility services
Due regard should be given to the underground
properties of other departments like
 Electricity
 Water supply
 Sewers
 Drains
 Gas
 Other company telecom cables

6
 Survey
Survey consists of two steps
a) Inspection
b) Strata Verification :
• Eye Survey
• Pit Survey

7
 Pit Survey
It is time consuming, but is very accurate and
reliable
It gives correct details of strata up to full depth.
In this method, sample pits are got excavated
at every 200 meters on route of
- 165 cms deep,
- 45cms wide on top and
- 30 cms wide at bottom.
Length of pit is generally kept as 1 meter
If any rock is encountered after certain depth,
then further excavation is not done
8
 Pit for Trench
 If murram is encountered, then full depth is excavated
 These pits are then inspected by surveyor who records
data of strata seeing actual type of soil and its correct
measurements
45 cm 45 cm

1M
165 cm

30 cm

30 cm

In Murram soil If any rock encountered

9
 Trenching
Manual excavations
Thrust boring
Excavating with Machine tools

10
 Trenching

Trench Dimensions

5 CMS 105CMS

30 – 40 CMS

11
 Trenching

Soft soil bedding

5 CMS

5CMS
30 – 40 CMS

12
 Trenching

Warning bricks

5CMS
30 – 40 CMS

13
 Trenching

Trench sloping

200 MTS
Paying of cables

14
 Trenching

Cable bending

7.5 d

15
 ●
Permission
Permission :
 -Permission from the appropriate authorities
such as R&B, Railways and Municipality is to be
obtained by paying re-instatement charges as
per rules
Award of work :
 - After finalization of tender, work is awarded
to approved contractor after entering into
agreement as specified in the tender document

16
 ●
Procurement
Procurement of OFC Accessories:
 -Certain accessories are required to be
procured locally which are essential for
trenching, laying of pipes & proper installation of
equipment. availability of these accessories must
be ensured before issue of work order

17
 Supervision and Inspection of routes
This activity is started as soon as the work
order is issued.
It is essential to ensure that contractor initiates
action on the work in time so that it can be
completed on time
Continuous monitoring of the work is must to
maintain quality as per the standards

18
 ●
Estimates
Preparation of Estimates :
 - Project Estimate is prepared once the survey
is completed & Strata report is made available
Floating of NIT :
 - NIT for trenching, laying of HDPE pipes &
pulling of O.F. cable along with associated works
is floated after preparation and approval of
estimate by competent authority. Departmental
standard instructions are available on this
subject

19
 Types of Pipes
HDPE (High Density Poly-Ethylene) Pipes
PLB HDPE Pipe (Permanently Lubricated High
Density Polyethylene pipe)

20
 HDPE Pipes
HDPE (High Density Poly-Ethylene) Pipes :
- It is light, not very rigid, durable, available
easily, cheaper and easier for handling
- The OF cables will be laid in HDPE pipes
standardized 50mm outer diameter having strength
of 6 kg/cm2 for cross country and 10kg/cm2 pipes
for congested city

21
 PLB HDPE PIPE
Two Layer Construction
Outer layer construction
The base HDPE resin used for the outer layer
of the PLB HDPE pipe shall conform to any
designation of IS-7328 standard.
Density :0.94 to 0.958 gm/cc at 270 C temp
Melt flow rate :0.2 to 1.1 gm/10min at 1900 C
temp & 5 Kg load

22
HDPE DUCT Pipes and Fittings

23
PLB HDPE PIPE

24
HDPE DUCT

25
Accessories Required to lay PLB HDPE duct
Plastic Coupler: To couple Two ducts
End Plug: Sealing the ends of empty ducts
prior to installation of O.F cable.
Cable Sealing Plug: Used after laying of O.F
cable to prevent entry of dirt, water, and
moisture, Rodent.
End Cap: Fitted into both ends of duct coil after
manufacturing the duct

26
Double E-LOC Electro Fusion
Coupling Coupler

27
28
 Continued
Replacement of faulty cable is less time
consuming
Couplers are better fitted therefore no
problems of choking
Damage to cables during pulling is less
Blowing methods is used

29
 Trenching and Pipe Laying
Major specifications for trenching are :
Depth should be 165 cm in soft soil with a min.
of 1m depth in rocky areas
Top and bottom width of the trenches should
be a min. of 45 cm and 30 cm respectively.
Trenching should be as far as possible straight
Whenever curves or deviations are
encountered it should be very smooth curve
where the radius of curvature should be more
than 60 cm at least

30
 In Built Up Areas
On Ducted Routes: Optical Fiber cable may be
laid through the existing ducts wherever new
pipes for this purpose are to be laid in the duct
PVC pipes of 100 mm inner diameter with 2.5
mm thickness in case of cement encased duct
and 4 mm in case of sand filled duct may be
used as per standard practice being followed by
the Department
It is preferable to lay optical fiber cable through
sub-pipes. 3 PVC sub pipes of 30 mm diameter
each may be fixed in main duct pipe

31
 Non-Ducted Routes
Optical Fiber cable may be laid through HDPE
pipe of 75 mm outer diameter having strength of
6 kg/cm2
It is directly buried in the ground at about 1.65
m depth with stone/CC slab of about 35 mm
thick, 300 mm wide and 0.6-1 meter long at
about 20 cm. above the pipe.
In case the CC slab is expensive, metal or
equivalent RCC may be used.
The top of the stone/CC slab is sign-written as
ITD “Optical Fiber Cable” in indelible yellow
paints
32
Congested City Limits : 10 kg/cm2 pipes are
laid in congested city limits to ensure better
protection.
In Cross Country :
 -The Optical Fiber cable shall be directly
buried at 1.65 m depth with stone/CC slab as
per specification mentioned above. The pipe
used in 950 mm outer diameter, 6 kg/cm2
HDPE

33
 Special Types of Terrain

 In exceptional cases, the depth of the trench

could be much more than 1.5 m due
toundulating terrain as shown below (Fig.1)

Undulating Terrain

34
 Type of Man-holes
Since the cable lengths are very large, it is difficult
to pull the whole cable length (1-2 km) in one stretch,
therefore, DOT has prescribed temporary
intermediate manholes at every 200 m. The normal
manholes may be of different shapes and sizes as per
the requirement. The manholes on the straight
stretches may be either square or rectangular. The
man-holes at the corner are normally L-type. The size
of the manholes should be such that the
installation/maintenance personnel can stand inside
and perform the work conveniently. Typically, the
manhole size is 12’ x 6’
35
 Precautions while Laying
Avoid sharp bends
Overlap duct ends by 1 m from each side. Both
ends must be sealed with end plugs
Do not hang ducts on fences barriers etc
Pump out water if any
Lay pipe under tree routes

36
 Continued
Lay pipe under tree routes
Tightly close the end of the ducts
Use forklift for lifting duct
Do not wrap chain etc to lift
Roll down on planks or drop on sand
Ensure sealing during storage

37
 Contd..
The Optical fiber cable may be lubricated for
easy pulling of cable through the duct by means
of pulling rope attached to pulling eye at the
cable end

38
The previously laid pipe and manholes,
portion of bends etc. on the cable route as per
records maintained a the time of laying pipes
may be cleaned thoroughly before pulling of
Optical fiber cable is started

39
The wire brush to clean the duct with
rags is shown in Fig.

Attachment of Wire Brush and Rags

40
Sufficient overlap of cable may be kept at
splicing location so that the ends may be taken in
the van placed near by and splicing can be done
by testing instruments in a dust free atmosphere.
The extra length of 5-10m each on both ends
may be required for overlap

41
–Laying operation has to be done to have
mechanical/protection against stretching, bending,
twisting, vibration and crushing beyond specified
limit
–It is essential to take all precautions so that cable is
laid with minimum tension and should lie in the
trench with no tension.
–This would help in achieving the desired life of 40
years

42
 General Precautions
Special precautions required are :
–Shocks due to drops from higher points should be
avoided
–The drums should not be laid flat
–Drums should not be rolled for transportation
purposes except for short movement at installation
sites
–The drums should always be rolled in direction
indicated by arrow mark

43
 Contd..
–Drums should be kept to remain battened until
the cable laying work is actually started.
–Batterns on the cable drums should be removed
carefully to prevent any physical damage to cable
–The Optical Fiber Cable drums should be
handled with utmost care
–The cable pulling speed should be determined
considering the site condition

44
 Preparation for Cable laying
The pulling of the cable can be done in 3 ways
in the Indian conditions.
–By cable winch (machine pulling)
–By cable winch assisted by manual pulling at
intermediate stations
–Manually with intermediate assistance

45
Setting Position of Cable Drum

46
Each cable drum is given a number indicating
its relative position along the cable route.
Therefore, cable drums should be arranged
so that each cable piece is laid in its relative
predetermined position, without replacement of
cable piece unless otherwise specially
instructed by the persons concerned

47
 Machine Pulling

Pulling End Arrangement in Manhole

48
 Machine Pulling
For this purpose cable winch and pulling
machines are to be used.
First 12 mm cable pulling rope is installed through
the pipeline in two kms length of section with the
help of 4 mm rope.
 The pulling machine is so adjusted that maximum
pulling tension of cable, as specified by
manufacturer, is not exceeded
The anti–twist device is attached between 12 mm
pulling rope and optical fiber cable with the help of
pulling grip to avoid twist in the cable during pulling

49
The typical arrangement of cable connection
in manhole is shown in Fig. During machine
pulling monitor the pulling tension and slow
down the pulling speed whenever required.
Again, there are two methods for using pulling
machine

50
 Straight Pulling

Pulling Tension Monitoring

51
 Straight Pulling
This method is applicable for straight length of
2 km. with even surfaces
Two pulling machines are used, one at
intermediate point at 1 km from cable rear and
other at 2 km pulling end
Speed of machine is so set that machine "B"
pulls slightly faster than "A"

52
 Centre Pulling
–This method is adopted for typical section having
uneven surface, 90 degree turns or curves in
pipelines. The steps to be followed are as under :
–)Place the cable drum at middle point of 2 km.
section.
–)Install pulling machine at 600 to 800 meters from
cable drum to both sides (Fig.)
–)First pull 1000 meters feeding from cable drum
using machine and manual pull, in one direction

53
000M 200M 400M 600M 800M 1000M 1200M 1400M 1600M 1800M 2000M

Hand Pulling Pulling machine Hand Hand

Pull machine Pull Pull

Cable drum
Fig.of Eight

54
Make figure of eight (refer Fig) of the
remaining cable of the drum

55
Pull remaining cable, i.e. 1000 meter to
other direction using other pulling machine
and manual pulls.
Manual pulling assistance in the
intermediate pits is necessary to reduce the
tail load to nearly zero

56
 Manual Pulling
–For the route having :
•Uneven surfaces,
•90 degree turns and
•Hilly terrain
The manual pulling method is easy and
progress of work is also better than machine
pulling.
In case of manual pulling, monitoring of tension
is not required.
It is always better to use centre pull-method in
case of manual pulling

57
 Records of Cable during Pulling
– During pulling of cable always maintain following
records which will be helpful for route index diagram
and for future fault localization by OTDR during
installation of cable drum

58
 Contd..
–Manufacturer’s packing details of cable drum
–Cable drum number of repeater section
–Physical length of cable on drum
–Both ends meter marks of cable
–Date of pulling of cable drum
–Meter marks at each pit location after
pulling of cable
–Permanent landmarks and km stones of road
for references
–Cable drum location/Figure of eight
locations

59
 Methods of U/G Cable Laying
Laying direct in the ground
Drawing through ducts
Laying solid

60
 Laying Direct in the Ground
Advantages
– Simple & cheap
– Widely used
– Initial cost of laying is very less

 Disadvantages
– Vulnerable to damage
– Repeated trenches
– Delayed installation
– Delayed maintenance
– Faulty cable not easily identifiable
– Armoured cables are costly
– Costly pavement surfaces are
– To be dug & reinstated
– Prone to electrolytic & chemical corrosion

61
 Safety Precautions
Proper protection
Bridges over open trenches
Danger from falling material
Jumping in trench to be avoided
Glass bits corroded wires sharp
Objects to be removed
Excavated material to be properly
Stored to avoid accidents
Extra care while excavating near foundations
Excavation in presence of the owner of bldg.
Heavy equipment not to be allowed near trench to
avoid cave in
62
 Safety Precautions
Excavations should be protected by barriers
Openings must be indicated by red flags
During night red lamps to be displayed
Excavation in consultation with electrical auth.
Wooden handled handtool
Handles of tool should be dry
Disconnection of power in the area is good
Slight damage to electric cable be reported
Warning bricks be replaced before refilling
Workman not allowed to work singally
Even during power shutoff power cable treated live

63
 Safety Precautions
Determine the location of underground pipes,
electrical, gas, sewage, or fuel lines before
digging
Trench depth: If the trench is 5 feet deep or
more, it must be shored or sloped. If there is a
possibility of soil movement, even shallower
trenches have to be shored. If you have any
doubt about it -- shore or slope the trench

64
 Safety Precautions
Running Soils: The more liquid the soil, the
more you need to use additional types of shoring
Changing Weather Conditions: Hard packed
soil can become soupy and unstable after rain.
Trenches, which are safely sloped or shored in
dry weather, can be very dangerous in wet
weather

65
 Safety Precautions
Heavy loads in the area: Don't park heavy
equipment next to a trench. Nearby structures
such as buildings, curbs, trees, and utility poles
will exert stress on trench shoring.

66
 Safety Precautions
Bration: If you are digging a trench near a roadway or
where other operations create vibration, make the
shoring strong enough to withstand the added stress.
If a trench is 5 feet deep or more, work should be
supervised by an individual knowledgeable about trench
safety.
Always shore from the top down, and take it out from
the bottom up. Vi

Keep water away from trench banks. Make sure

electrical lines and cables are grounded, guarded or de-
energized.
Make sure that shoring material is the right kind, in
good condition, and free of defects

67
 Safety Precautions
Place soil removed from the traench at least 2 feet from
the trench rim.
Always wear hard hats and other necessary protective
equipment.
Notify your supervisor when you are working in a
trench.
For easy, safe and quick exit, set exit ladders every 25
feet for trenches greater than 4 feet deep.
Post warning signs and rope off the areas that may be
dangerous to the public and other

68
 Laying of Pipes on Bridges, Culverts
In small bridges and culverts across canals,
different methods as given below could be
followed, depending upon the situations
If the bridge/culvert is broad and having
sufficient cushioning, the pipes can be buried
under the cushioning

69
 Laying of Pipes on Bridges, Culverts
If the bridge/culvert is provided with raised and
hollow footpath or wheel guard, the pipe can be
buried inside the hollow footpath or can be laid
over the wheel guard and chambered
If the supporting pillars are having projections
and the distance between the pillars is small,
then the pipes (HDPE and G.I.) could be laid
over the pillar projections

70
 Laying of Pipes on Bridges, Culverts
If none of the above solutions is possible then
outside the parapet wall, G.I. troughs can be
fitted with suitable clamps
For smaller bridges, the HDPE pipes can be
laid inside the trough
However, for long bridges, HDPE pipes need
not be laid inside the troughs
While laying the cable, glass-wool or other
cushioning items may be used to reduce
vibrations. At expansion joints ‘S’ type troughs
may be used to reduce tension

71
 Laying of Pipes on Bridges, Culverts
It may be appreciated that all these works can
be completed in advance before the receipt of
the cable
When the cable is received it can be
straightway pulled through the pipes which have
already been laid
In such cases the cable can be pulled at a
much faster speed, when compared to direct
burial after the cable is received

72
 Cable Laying
Cable laying in railway properties
Cable laying at road crossing

73
 Solid Laying Process
This method involves laying a cable in trough
made in the excavated trench

Filling the trough completely with molten

bituminous compound or maxphate

Providing warning briks on the top after the

compound has set and then back filling the
trench

74
 Solid Laying Precautions
Wooden pieces spaced at such intervals that
will prevent undue sag
This ensures that cable gets completely
surrounded by the compound

75
 Laying Solid
Advantages :

It gives good protection to plain L.S. Cable

It gives good protection for chemically
aggressive soils
It gives good protection for electrolytic
corrosion

76
 Laying Solid
Disadvantages
High cost
Greater skill required by labour
Greater time required for installation
Difficulties encountered in filling the troughs
when the cable run is not horizontal
Inability to lay in wet weather
Unsuitable where subsidence of soil is severe
Recovery of cable is extremely difficult

77
 Summary
Session covered in details of Route Survey,
Trenching, and Laying, Pulling of OFC.
Estimate and Tender procedures covered.
Different methods of laying discussed.
Important of Planning studied.

78