WO1993008486A1 - Device and method for indicating underground object - Google Patents
Device and method for indicating underground object Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1993008486A1 WO1993008486A1 PCT/GB1991/001844 GB9101844W WO9308486A1 WO 1993008486 A1 WO1993008486 A1 WO 1993008486A1 GB 9101844 W GB9101844 W GB 9101844W WO 9308486 A1 WO9308486 A1 WO 9308486A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- carrier
- soil
- biodegradable
- service
- coloured
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
- G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
- G01M3/04—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point
- G01M3/042—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point by using materials which expand, contract, disintegrate, or decompose in contact with a fluid
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
- C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
- C08J5/00—Manufacture of articles or shaped materials containing macromolecular substances
- C08J5/18—Manufacture of films or sheets
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L1/00—Laying or reclaiming pipes; Repairing or joining pipes on or under water
- F16L1/024—Laying or reclaiming pipes on land, e.g. above the ground
- F16L1/06—Accessories therefor, e.g. anchors
- F16L1/11—Accessories therefor, e.g. anchors for the detection or protection of pipes in the ground
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
- H02G9/00—Installations of electric cables or lines in or on the ground or water
- H02G9/02—Installations of electric cables or lines in or on the ground or water laid directly in or on the ground, river-bed or sea-bottom; Coverings therefor, e.g. tile
- H02G9/025—Coverings therefor, e.g. tile
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a device and method for indicating the presence of an underground service or other underground object.
- the underground service may comprise electrical power cables, gas lines, water and sewage pipes, transmission lines, and like installations which are commonly run beneath the surface of the ground between terminals or outlets. It is well known that such services are often required to be located and accessed, for example for maintenance or repair work to be carried out. In such circumstances, an excavator may have only an approximate guide to the position of the service to be accessed. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide some form of positive indication to the excavator as to the position of the service once excavation has commenced. Another circumstance is that the excavator may know the horizontal location of the service, but may not know the depth, so that there is a need for means for indicating the depth of a service.
- excavation may be being carried out for reasons unrelated to the underground service, and an excavator may be unaware of the presence of the service in the excavation region.
- the provision of means indicating the presence of the service may act as a warning to the excavator, and so reduce the likelihood of damage to the service, or harm to the excavator, occurring during excavation.
- a device for indicating the presence of an underground object comprising a carrier and a coloured material carried by the carrier, the carrier being biodegradable to leave the coloured material in the soil, in which the coloured material is a water soluble dye whereby the coloured material dissolves in soil moisture and diffuses into the soil beyond the position of the carrier.
- the carrier is in the form of an elongate strip of material.
- the elongate strip has a width of from 100mm to 300mm, and preferably approximately
- the elongate strip may have a thickness of from
- the elongate strip has a thickness of 10 approximately 75 microns.
- the elongate strip may be buried in the ground at a depth of from 100mm to 500mm, and preferably approximately 300mm.
- the carrier is preferably adapted to degrade within approximately 6 months of burial of the elongate 15 strip in the ground above the service, so as to release the coloured dye into the ground.
- the material may be arranged to degrade more quickly, for example within a few days.
- the coloured material is distributed throughout the carrier.
- the carrier comprises a biodegradable plastics material and conveniently the carrier consists of a non-biodegradable polymer and a biodegradable organic
- the non-biodegradable polymer is present in the range 40 to 80 per cent by weight of the device.
- the biodegradable organic material may be present in the range 5 to 40 per cent by weight of the device.
- the water soluble dye may be present in the
- the o non-biodegradable polymer is ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer.
- the biodegradable organic material may , 35 conveniently be starch.
- the device comprises 50 to 70 per cent by weight of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, 10 to 30 per cent by weight of starch, and 10 to 30 per cent by weight of the water soluble dye.
- a method of indicating the presence of an underground object comprising burying in the ground in the vicinity of an underground object a device comprising a biodegradable carrier and a coloured material carried by the carrier, and allowing the carrier to degrade to leave the coloured material in the soil, in which the coloured material dissolves in soil moisture and diffuses into the soil beyond the position of the carrier.
- the method has particular application where the method includes laying the device in the form of an elongate strip aligned along the length of an elongate underground service and positioned at a higher level than the underground service.
- the figure shows a section of earth 1 in which is buried a service in .the form of a pipe 2.
- An elongate strip of a plastics material in the form of a tape 3 is buried in the earth 1 above the pipe 2.
- the tape is positioned in the earth 1 so that it extends along the length of, and substantially vertically above, the pipe 2.
- the tape 3 contains a coloured dye dispersed throughout the material thereof, which material is a degradable plastics material.
- the tape 3 has a width of approximately 150mra and a thickness of approximately 75 microns.
- the tape 3 is buried in the earth 1 at a depth of approximately 300mm beneath the surface 4 of the earth 1.
- the tape 3 is conveniently laid in its operative position at the time the pipe 2 is first installed. At this time, an excavator will have dug a trench in the earth 1 in which to lay the pipe 2. Once the pipe 2 is installed, the excavator then refills the trench above the pipe 2 to a depth of approximately 300mm below the surface 4 of the earth. The tape 3 is then laid along the length of the trench so that the tape extends above the pipe 2. The remainder of the trench above the tape 3 is then refilled with earth.
- the tape 3 comprises a degradable plastics material containing a coloured dye.
- the plastics material degrades releasing 6-he coloured dye into the ground above the pipe 2.
- an excavator may have only a rough guide as to the position of the pipe. If excavation is commenced in the region of the pipe, an excavator need only dig up the surface of the earth in the region of the pipe to a depth of approximately 300mm until he locates the coloured dye. Once the dye has been located, the excavator then knows that the pipe lies directly beneath the dye and can continue digging in order to access the pipe. Conveniently the final excavation is carried out carefully by hand to avoid damaging the service.
- the use of the invention can be merely to indicate the general location of the service, or, more importantly, to indicate a safe depth to which mechanical excavation can take place .
- the release of the coloured dye into the ground after degradation of the plastics material is achieved by virtue of the coloured dye being a water soluble dye which dissolves in soil moisture and diffuses into the soil beyond the position of the original tape 3 carrying the dye.
- the indicator device formed by the tape 3 can be easily stored and easily laid above the service 2 by paying out the tape, for example, from reel.
- the water soluble dye diffuses upwardly and downwardly into the soil, leaving a coloured band. having a significant three dimensional extent which is much more readily detectable than a simple coloured tape.
- the water soluble dye may diffuse upwardly and downwardly to give a total depth of coloured soil of 50 to 100mm.
- the following method was used to prepare an elongate strip of plastics material for use as an indicating device.
- the material contained 20gm. of water soluble yellow dye, 60gm. of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) grade EY907, and 20gm. of maize starch.
- EVA copolymer ingredient was fluxed by feeding the commercial granular product into the nip of a 30x15 cm laboratory 2-roll mill with the rolls held at a temperature of about 100 Centigrade, sufficiently hot to flux the polymer but not so hot as to cause sticking to the rolls or thermal decomposition of the dye.
- EVA ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer
- the hide of mixture was cut from the rolls, turned through 90 degrees, and returned to the rolls two or three times to ensure uniformity of the blend. Finally the hide was cut from the rolls and cooled. Smooth sheets were then prepared from the hide by pressing it between polished stainless steel plates faced with polyester foil, the thickness of these sheets being fixed by using a steel frame 2mm thick surrounding the material. Pressing was carried out using a 2 minute press cycle in a hydraulic press with electrically heated platens maintained at a temperature of 100 Centigrade.
- EVA Ethylene Propylene Dine Terpolymer
- SBR Styrene Butadine Rubber
- the lower limit for the starch to have any effect is about 5% by weight (density 1.3 to 1.5 according to type) and, since the development of porosity is down to the action of the starch, the lower limit for the water soluble dye could be 1% by weight, although the objective is to carry as much as possible.
- type of starch there are many different types of starch which may be used. e.g. maize, wheat, barley, oats, potato, rice, sago, and tapioca.
- One dye which has been found suitable is Aravit 3111807 Tartrazine yellow made by the Williams Division of Morton Thiokol Ltd.
- Other water soluble dyes can be used provided they are non-toxic and show some degree of retention by soils. A permanent coloured zone will be established in the soil if the chemical nature of the soluble dye is such that it can be adsorbed onto the colloidal ingredients (humus, and colloidal silicates and aluminates) in the soils in the same way that soluble dyes are irreversibly attached to appropriate textile fibres.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP91918363A EP0641453A1 (en) | 1990-02-09 | 1991-10-22 | Device and method for indicating underground object |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB909002994A GB9002994D0 (en) | 1990-02-09 | 1990-02-09 | Device and method for indicating the presence of an underground service |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1993008486A1 true WO1993008486A1 (en) | 1993-04-29 |
Family
ID=10670751
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB1991/001844 WO1993008486A1 (en) | 1990-02-09 | 1991-10-22 | Device and method for indicating underground object |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0641453A1 (en) |
GB (2) | GB9002994D0 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1993008486A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB9002994D0 (en) * | 1990-02-09 | 1990-04-04 | Harvey Christopher J | Device and method for indicating the presence of an underground service |
DE19726880A1 (en) * | 1997-06-24 | 1999-01-07 | Siemens Ag | Filling compound and method for filling a laying groove for optical waveguides or optical waveguide cables in a fixed installation base with a filling device |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3115861A (en) * | 1960-02-29 | 1963-12-31 | J L Tremper | Locating elements of construction beneath the surface of earth soils |
CH424901A (en) * | 1964-11-26 | 1966-11-30 | Robert Peter Carl | Procedure to protect cables laid in the ground from damage caused by excavation work |
WO1989001253A1 (en) * | 1987-07-24 | 1989-02-09 | Reef Industries, Inc. | Polymeric tape with biocide |
GB2243201A (en) * | 1990-02-09 | 1991-10-23 | Christopher James Harvey | Device and method for indicating underground object |
-
1990
- 1990-02-09 GB GB909002994A patent/GB9002994D0/en active Pending
- 1990-10-05 GB GB9021711A patent/GB2243201B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1991
- 1991-10-22 EP EP91918363A patent/EP0641453A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1991-10-22 WO PCT/GB1991/001844 patent/WO1993008486A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3115861A (en) * | 1960-02-29 | 1963-12-31 | J L Tremper | Locating elements of construction beneath the surface of earth soils |
CH424901A (en) * | 1964-11-26 | 1966-11-30 | Robert Peter Carl | Procedure to protect cables laid in the ground from damage caused by excavation work |
WO1989001253A1 (en) * | 1987-07-24 | 1989-02-09 | Reef Industries, Inc. | Polymeric tape with biocide |
GB2243201A (en) * | 1990-02-09 | 1991-10-23 | Christopher James Harvey | Device and method for indicating underground object |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB9021711D0 (en) | 1990-11-21 |
GB9002994D0 (en) | 1990-04-04 |
GB2243201A (en) | 1991-10-23 |
EP0641453A1 (en) | 1995-03-08 |
GB2243201B (en) | 1993-09-01 |
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