Composite Signal Tape for Pull-Up Warning of Buried Pipelines
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current marker tapes for buried infrastructure are unreliable in being consistently pulled from the ground without breaking, making it difficult for excavation crews to visually detect them and prevent damage to pipelines and other underground infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
Development of a Signal Tape with a strong core material, such as metallic cable, woven fabric, or polyester rope, laminated within a protective film, designed to withstand excavation machinery and be pulled to the surface intact, incorporating RFID technology for enhanced location and warning systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If marker tape is made flexible and thin for easy burial, then it can be easily laid over buried infrastructure, but it breaks when pulled by excavation machinery and cannot be reliably seen
Solution Approach 1:
The marker tape uses a composite structure combining a flexible thin plastic film for ease of burial with a high-strength core material (metallic cable, woven fabric, or polyester rope) that prevents breaking when pulled by excavation machinery. This composite construction allows the tape to be easily laid over infrastructure while maintaining reliability when struck and pulled to the surface.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If marker tape contains metallic components for remote location, then it can be detected from surface, but it adds complexity and may not be sufficient to prevent damage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple functions into a single integrated tape structure: the flexible thin film provides detectability from the surface, the high-strength core material prevents breaking when pulled, and warning indicia provide visual alerting. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate tracer wires and multiple tape layers, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining all necessary functions.
3Strength
If marker tape is designed to stretch when struck, then it can be pulled to surface, but it stretches in small portions that are difficult to see
Solution Approach 1:
The composite construction with the high-strength core material embedded in the thin plastic film allows the tape to stretch significantly when struck by excavation machinery without breaking. The core material distributes the stretching force throughout the entire length of the tape, ensuring that large portions remain visible and connected, making it easy for excavation crews to spot and respond to the warning.
4Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If marker tape uses frangible body with contrasting color, then it can be seen in trench, but it cannot be reliably pulled from ground without breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The frangible body is constructed as a composite with a thin plastic film providing contrasting color for visibility and a high-strength core material (metallic cable, woven fabric, or polyester rope) ensuring reliable pulling. When the frangible body is struck and pulled from the ground, the core material prevents breaking while the thin film maintains visibility, allowing excavation crews to reliably see and respond to the warning.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention apparatus for and a method of creating a localized warning to prevent damage to buried pipeline and other buried infrastructure using a new type of marker tape with the trade name signal tape® [hereinafter referred to as "Signal Tape"]. The disclosed Signal Tape may incorporate tracer wire and RFID technology to aid in the remote location of the Signal Tape and, thus, the buried infrastructure. Signal Tape may also incorporate Litz wire for use as tracer wire within the Signal Tape. The Signal Tape is designed to be buried just below the surface of the ground and directly over a buried infrastructure such as a pipeline. The Signal Tape incorporates a strong core material which permits the Signal Tape to be bodily removed from the soil when it is struck by excavation equipment.