A Revolution In Underground Duct Bank Installation
Irving, TX, June 2020 – With the rollout of its RED-E-DUCT™ Precast Electrical Duct Bank System, Forterra is changing the way underground electrical duct bank systems are installed. With significant time, cost, and labor savings, construction teams can complete underground installations faster, restoring site access more quickly while enhancing worker safety.
A new approach to duct bank installation
In traditional underground duct bank installation, multiple PVC conduit runs are “stick-built” with individual sections of PVC conduit connected in sequence using PVC solvent cement. Concrete formwork must be erected around the installed conduits. Dependent upon design requirements, reinforcing steel may be required to be placed around the PVC conduits. Finally, concrete must be poured and sufficiently cured before work in the area may resume. Added together, the traditional process is slow, labor-intensive, and subject to weather delays.
By contrast, the RED-E-DUCT Precast Electrical Duct Bank System consists of electrical conduits encased in engineered, prefabricated concrete sections, arriving at the job site ready to install. Solvent cements are not required to join the sections, and no formwork, steel reinforcement, or concrete work is required on straight duct bank runs. The need for concrete testing is eliminated at the job site, since quality tests are performed and recorded at Forterra’s certified precast facility.
Lay rates up to 14,000 conduit-feet per shift (8-hour workday)
With RED-E-DUCT and appropriate construction planning, up to 14,000 conduit feet can be installed per shift and trenches can be backfilled as soon as the RED-E-DUCT sections are installed. The savings in time, labor, and time-to-completion are dramatic – allowing construction teams to complete underground infrastructure in record time.
Backfill immediately after installation
Trench excavation and setting of duct bank sections can happen concurrently, and trenches can be backfilled immediately after RED-E-DUCT sections are installed. Critical locations can be trenched, installed, and backfilled in as little as eight hours, allowing site access to be restored quickly, and reducing the time of worker exposure to open trench areas.
Fewer weather delays and no time lost to concrete testing
Along with revolutionizing the economics of underground duct bank installation, RED-E-DUCT offers several performance advantages over traditional duct bank construction. For example, RED-E-DUCT greatly reduces the risk of weather-related delays and eliminates the time-consuming requirement of on-site concrete testing.
Superior thermal resistivity for better heat dissipation
Because all components are manufactured under controlled conditions using Forterra’s proprietary fluidized thermal concrete formula, the RED-E-DUCT system provides superior thermal resistivity – an important factor in allowing heat to dissipate from underground cables.
Precast stub-ups make quick work of vertical direction changes
RED-E-DUCT Stub-Ups save significant construction time while enhancing worker safety by reducing time spent in the trench. Construction teams can complete work faster, at a lower installed cost, compressing 30 days of work into as little as one day, compared to traditional conduit placement and concrete encasement.
Rated to accommodate HS20 and HL93 load conditions
The high flexural strength of the RED-E-DUCT precast sections, combined with the integrated shear key design, results in its ability to withstand loads imposed by heavy truck, crane, and roadway traffic, without the need for steel reinforcement.
3D modeling for rapid design
Using RED-E-DUCT standard 3D design templates, design engineers can design and layout underground electrical duct banks using a faster and more efficient design process. RED-E-DUCT digital models can be integrated effortlessly into the design team’s digital project model.
For more information about the game-changing advantages of the RED-E-DUCT Precast Electrical Duct Bank System, contact Forterra’s RED-E-DUCT product application team at [email protected].
RED-E-DUCT Precast Electrical Duct Bank
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