Intelligent Utility Locating Tool for Excavators
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 132, Issue 9
Abstract
Currently, backhoe excavator operators have to depend on color-coded markings applied by utility locators to expect the location of utilities buried in the ground. As accidents prove time and time again, this method is unreliable. While more efforts should be spent on subsurface engineering and as-built documentation, excavators should have their own tools to “see” cables, wires, and pipes while working underground. This paper presents the result of work aimed at supplying backhoe operators with a device capable of scanning the ground for metallic objects. The “fishfinder” type tool is thought to be the last “barricade” against horrific accidents caused by the damage of buried utilities. The writers not only present the results of extensive tests in the laboratory and the field but also highlight that the outdated contractual principles used by the government, utility companies, and insurers establishes insurmountable barriers for transferring this novel technology into the industry. The relevance of the presented work is in the experimental data that has been collected and analyzed both in the laboratory and in the field.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for this work has been provided by the Public Health Service–National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Contract Nos. 5 R01 CCR413051-02 and 1R01 0H04201-01. Its content is solely the responsibility of the writers and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIH. The writers also acknowledge the contributions made by the many members of the BUDS team working at the CARL laboratory, especially Matt Baldwin, an undergraduate student in Electrical Engineering, who would not stop until the devices worked. Finally, the support of Steve Baldwin Construction Inc. was essential in conducting the final tests with actual equipment.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 132 • Issue 9 • September 2006
Pages: 919 - 927
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 8, 2005
Accepted: Dec 8, 2005
Published online: Sep 1, 2006
Published in print: Sep 2006
Authors
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