gspcpt (asker) Apr 7, 2010:

Thanks so much to all of you, and for the heads-up on the "backfill". I will change it immediately.

Juan Vilca Apr 7, 2010:

Just an additional comment on a related term in the description of the context - The proper term when referring to the installation of buried pipe is not "filler" it's "backfill". If you are referring to it as "filler" you might want to correct that.

axies Apr 7, 2010:

un dado Can be ignored in the translation; to me it just means a portion or certain quantity of and in this case concrete.
I read all of this as to mean that the pipe(s) is/are to be seating solidly on a bed of concrete (before the pipes are lowered to be laid) and of course then covered with further concrete to protect them/reinforce them.

Juan Vilca Apr 6, 2010:

Sergio has it right. The pipe would be completely encased in reinforced concrete (360°) if there is not enough soil cover to protect it. "un dado" just means a reinforced concrete block for encasement in the limited area where the cover is insufficient, as opposed to the entire pipe being encased.

Sergio Campo Apr 6, 2010:

Although it is not absolutely clear to me what this "dado de refuerzo de hormigón de 360º" is referring to, I think it is a safe bet to assume, as said before and as Cindy suggests in her answer, a concrete block encasing the pipe all around. "En su defecto" would mean that, if the fill over the pipe is under 1m or 1 diameter, a concrete block, designed to bear the total vertical load, will have to be used to take the place of the non-existant earth fill and protect the pipe from the efects of loads. This type of design solution is usual, but the wording is, at least for me and to say the least, a little convoluted. Goog luck

gspcpt (asker) Apr 6, 2010:

The text before it is:

Profundidad mínima de instalación: De acuerdo a lo indicado por el
fabricante, las tuberías PEAD deberán instalarse con un relleno mínimo
sobre la clave igual a 1 m o 1 diámetro, el que sea mayor. Alturas de
relleno menores a estos valores requerirán de un análisis estructural
debidamente justificado. En su defecto, se exigirá el uso de ***un dado de
refuerzo de hormigón*** de 360°, que deberá diseñarse para resistir la
totalidad de la carga vertical.

Does this help?

Sergio Campo Apr 6, 2010:

More context? Do you have any more context? The text before "... el uso de un dado..." could clarify the purpose of this concrete block and help with the translation. It could be just a concrete anchor block, to hold the pipe down, and the 360º could refer to the block enveloping completely the pipe (as oppposite to, e.g. 180º, which would mean half the pipe)