Cable Trench

Commonly known as a "Trench Box".

By proper Civils construction. If you don't have the capability onboard, hire someone.

By using the KISS system. It's real simple ..... Don't work in the rainy season!!

Problem solved ......

Most successful method is to construct the cable trenches with concrete and an appropriate amount and shape of steel rebar. The number of quantity, size and shapes of the re-bars must be calculated by a civil engineer with experience in this calculation. The placement of the concrete in one pour or with appropriate expansion joints will prevent the walls from collapsing and reduce the amount of seepage from the walls. Install a mud pump or a double diaphragm pneumatic powered pump (Wilden, Aro, Sandpiper are a few of many brands) They both have the necessary clearances for mud. The double diaphragms will pump almost anything from dry powders to more viscous than spackling compound.

Trench shields (sometimes called boxes) are not the way to go. They are intended for temporary personal protection while working within a trench. The many cross pieces would interfere with the cables especially during repair and replacement of them. Since the bottom is open there would be greater volumes of water coming in from the open bottom. The bottoms being open also leaves you with a mud bottom, not good for cables or personnel. Trench shields are intended only for use as personal protection from collapses in trenches, mandatory if depth is 5 ft or greater, and are not intended for your cable use. They are also more expensive than concrete.

The concrete trench is also the most frequently used method. It is time proven.

Good Luck, Old Salt

This guy is fishing for answers to their home work assignment. Otherwise if they were at an actual work-site then somebody, hopefully somebody would know something about shoring and or trench boxes.

This guy isn't safe enough to open any trench wider than 6 inches (15.25 cm) and 18 inches (45 cm) deep!! Anything more and they'll kill themselves or someone else