What is cable installation?
Getting an AGL cable into place without hurting it — a proved duct, a controlled pull, gentle bends and slack, then testing — so it is sound the day it goes live and for years after.
Cable installation is laying or pulling AGL cable into its final position, through ducts or direct in a trench, without damaging the insulation or sheath. It starts with a proved, clear duct and a cable checked on the drum, then a controlled pull within the manufacturer’s limits.
Over-tension or a tight bend can damage a cable without any visible sign, so it passes a quick test and then fails in service, taking a series circuit with it. Leave slack at handholes for jointing and repair, lay trench cable with gentle slack on clean bedding, and test and record the cable before and after. Treat any cable that could be energised as live until the circuit has been isolated, locked out and proved dead.
- Prepare. Check the route and duct allocation from the design, and prove the duct clear.
- Check the cable. Inspect and test it on the drum before it goes in.
- Set up. Position the reel and feed so the cable pays out without dragging or tight bends.
- Pull. Pull steadily within the tension and bend-radius limits, using compatible lubricant.
- Leave slack and seal. Slack at each handhole, gentle slack in trenches, duct ends sealed as designed.
- Test, tag and record. Test the installed cable, then identify and record it on the as-builts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1What is cable installation in airfield ground lighting?
Cable installation is laying or pulling AGL cable into its final position, through ducts or direct in a trench, without damaging the insulation or sheath, and leaving it ready to be jointed, terminated, tested and recorded.
Q2Why is a duct proved clear before a cable is pulled?
A blocked, crushed or misaligned duct can jam the cable or damage it part-way through a pull. Proving the duct first, for example by passing a mandrel or rodding line through it, finds the problem while the fix is still cheap.
Q3What goes wrong if a cable is pulled too hard or bent too tight?
The conductor, insulation or sheath can be stretched or crushed without any visible sign. The cable may pass a quick test, then fail later in service as a fault in a series circuit. Stay within the tension and minimum bend radius given by the manufacturer.
Q4Why leave slack in handholes and along the trench?
Slack in handholes lets the cable be jointed, terminated or repaired later without pulling in new cable, and slack along a trench lets it move with the ground rather than being held taut. How much is set by the design and specification.
Q5When should the cable be tested?
Normally before installation, while still on the drum, and again after it is in place and jointed, with insulation resistance and continuity checked against the project requirements. Results are recorded.
Q6What should be recorded after installation?
The cable reference, route, depth, handholes and joints on the as-built drawings, with test results, so identification, protection and later maintenance all work from the same record.
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