Prefabricated Handhole: Materials and Advantages for Underground Installations.

The prefabricated handhole plays a crucial role in underground infrastructure, protecting essential elements such as splitters, closures, signage, and fiber optic cable slack.

Its manufacture with resistant materials is fundamental to withstand extreme weather conditions, the passage of heavy vehicles on streets and avenues, and to ensure safety on sidewalks with non-slip covers.

In this article, we will tell you about the materials used for the manufacture of quality prefabricated handholes that also comply with standards to provide the best service.

What is a prefabricated handhole?

A prefabricated handhole is a structure designed to facilitate the connection, inspection, and maintenance of telecommunications or electrical systems. They are manufactured with materials such as fiberglass and usually include inlets and outlets for liquid flow, as well as grates or polymer concrete covers.

Unlike traditional handholes built on-site, prefabricated ones are manufactured in a controlled environment and transported for installation, reducing construction time and costs.

Do handholes comply with any specifications?

Prefabricated handholes must comply with the “Technical Specification for the Installation of Fiber Optic Handholes in Urban Areas” from the Ministry of Communications and Transportation.

It establishes that prefabricated handholes must be designed with a fiberglass box five millimeters thick, the surface must have a polymer concrete frame, and the cover with its frames will be made of ductile iron, or, if the project requires it, the covers could be made of polymer concrete.

And the Polymerico prefabricated handhole complies with all specifications and can even be customized.

Materials Used in the prefabricated handhole.

According to the specifications requested by the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, these are the materials present in prefabricated handholes.

Fiberglass

Invented in 1938 by engineer Russell G. Slayter, fiberglass is versatile, heat-resistant, lightweight, a perfect electrical insulator, inexpensive, and very resistant to many chemicals.

To manufacture it, extremely fine glass strands are woven in various configurations to form a fabric or mesh. In Figure 1, we have a close-up of the fiberglass and its threads in a prefabricated handhole.

Figure 1. Fiberglass prefabricated handhole.

Polymer concrete

It is a mixture of polymer resins (polyester, epoxy, acrylic, furan) with mineral fillers (sands, quartz, carbonates, silicas) and fiberglass.

This composition gives it properties that put polymer concrete at an advantage over other similar materials like Portland cement, such as: impermeability, mechanical resistance, high chemical resistance, thermal and electrical insulation.

Its uses are not limited to manufacturing covers or frames; it is also used for structural repair, road paving, pipe manufacturing, and general construction. Figure 2 shows a cover and frame made of polymer concrete.

Ductile Iron

Also known as nodular cast iron or spheroidal graphite cast iron, it was developed by Keith Millis in 1943. This type of cast iron is distinguished by having greater hardness, elasticity, elongation, tensile strength, and impact resistance.

Its composition consists of iron, carbon, silica, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and sulfur. Its applications include the manufacture of pipes for drinking water lines and the manufacture of manhole covers and grates, as they can withstand the passage of vehicles without problems.

In Figure 3, we can see a cover and a grate manufactured with this process and material.

Advantages of Prefabricated Handholes for Underground Installations.

Choosing a prefabricated handhole for underground infrastructure projects offers multiple benefits:

• Quick installation, as they are pre-manufactured, they are installed in less time.
• Cost reduction, less labor and additional materials.
• High resistance, designed to withstand extreme load and environmental conditions.
• Simplified maintenance, easy access for inspection and cleaning.
• Versatility, they adapt to different pipe diameters and soil types.

Polymerico Prefabricated Handhole at Incom.

As you can see, these materials have the necessary characteristics to protect the elements of our link. At INCOM, you can find prefabricated handholes and all their accessories made with the best quality and 100% Mexican; you can also customize the covers with your company or project logo.

Contact our sales team to get your quote.

Conclusion

Prefabricated handholes have transformed underground infrastructure, offering resistance, ease of installation, and lower cost.