Charles debuts composite underground enclosures

The TRUE 15 Series offers three sizes of underground handhole enclosures, each manufactured through a light resin transfer molding (LRTM) process utilizing advanced polymer composite materials.

The result of this unique combination of advanced materials and manufacturing processes is a game-changing composite enclosure that offers significantly lower unit weight capable of meeting and exceeding industry loading requirements while still providing maximum durability and service life.

Reduced unit weight also means reduced freight costs and provides safer installation for technicians compared to competitive underground enclosures.

Charles' TRUE 15 Series Enclosures are designed to meet and exceed the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers' ANSI/SCTE 77 2013 "Specification for Underground Enclosure Integrity" Tier 15 load requirements; vertical design load 15,000 pounds and 22,500 pounds test load and the three position structural tests; lateral, direct and center.

ANSI/SCTE Tier designations are performance based and the standard by which underground enclosures are tested to ensure long service life, minimize maintenance costs, and reduce potential liability related to underground enclosures.

The TRUE Series feature lids and bases that are 100% constructed from composite materials. Compared to concrete and polymer concrete underground enclosures, the TRUE Series has several unique advantages.

Product weight is reduced by 50% or more allowing two technicians to easily place the enclosures without need of heavy lifting machinery, improving overall technician safety and providing lower installation costs.

TRUE 15 Series feature a tapered-wall design, which allows stacked shipping, significantly decreasing freight costs. Their composite construction does not crack or crumble like concrete, ensuring aesthetic integrity over a long service life.

The TRUE Series' two-piece lids are light-weight for ease of technician access, yet structurally sound. They are offered in two standard colors and feature anti-skid surfaces, drop-in identification nameplates, molded-in lift pins, and multiple security locking bolt styles to accommodate various industry standards.

Designed for ANSI/SCTE Tier 15 rated placements (driveway, parking lot, and off-roadway applications subject to occasional, non-deliberate heavy vehicular traffic applications), Charles TRUE 15 Series Enclosures serve a variety of purposes in telecommunications, wireless, utility, CATV, irrigation and municipality networks.

Designed for ease of technician access, applications include storage for fiber optic or copper splice cases and cable slack, buried ground point access, electrical service drops, secondary voltage cable splices, control valve access, street lighting power boxes, buried housings for water shut-off valves, and many other underground enclosure uses.

Charles TRUE 15 Series was introduced to the telecommunications industry at the 2013 OSP Expo held in Dallas, Texas and will be on display to broadband cable professionals at the upcoming SCTE Cable-Tec Expo held October 22-24 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Charles Industries