A rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships and its manufacturing method

Abstract

A rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships and its manufacturing method are disclosed, belonging to the technical field of cables for ships and marine engineering. This rectangular heavy-duty cable consists of multiple conductive cables arranged in rows and columns to form a rectangular cable array. Along the cable's length, it features an alternating structure of glue-injected constrained sections and non-glue-injected flexible sections, resulting in a non-uniform stiffness distribution along the cable's length. Simultaneously, the rectangular cross-section structure causes differences in bending stiffness in the transverse and longitudinal directions, creating a two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristic, which is beneficial for the cable to form regular bending and winding patterns during deployment and retrieval. The glue-injected constrained sections are integrally formed and constrained by injecting a glue material into the cable array, and are then covered with foam buoyancy material to adjust the overall buoyancy of the cable. This invention has a clear structure and is suitable for applications of large-size, heavy-duty cables in ship and marine engineering operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cable technology for ships and marine engineering, specifically to a rectangular heavy-duty cable suitable for ship and marine equipment operation systems and its manufacturing method, and in particular to a rectangular cable for ships with segmented structure, anisotropic mechanical properties and weak negative buoyancy characteristics. Background Technology

[0002] During navigation and maritime operations, ships often need to continuously supply power to various operational devices through high-power cables deployed on or around the hull. These operational conditions place high demands on the cables' mechanical strength and structural reliability to withstand long-range deployment and retrieval operations.

[0003] Existing heavy-duty cables used in ships and marine engineering mostly adopt a circular general-purpose cable structure. During long-scale winding and unwinding, these cables are limited by their large overall size, weight, and circular cross-section, making it difficult to form a regular and compact winding shape. This can easily lead to problems such as loose winding, large space occupation, and uneven local stress, thereby increasing the risk of wear on the cable's outer sheath and structural damage. In addition, the overall structural stiffness distribution of existing cables is relatively uniform, and there is a lack of active constraint on bending behavior during winding, unwinding, and deployment, which can easily lead to uncontrollable posture problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships and its preparation method. By arranging multiple conductive cables in a rectangular array and introducing an alternating distribution of glue-filled constrained sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections along the cable length, the cable can achieve a controllable distribution of stiffness along the length while ensuring overall load-bearing capacity, thereby improving the bending and winding behavior of long-scale heavy-duty cables during deployment and retrieval.

[0005] Furthermore, through the synergistic effect of the rectangular cross-section structure and the segmented injection structure, the cable has different bending stiffness in the transverse and longitudinal directions, forming a two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristic, in order to meet the needs of large-size, heavy-duty cables in complex working conditions in shipbuilding and marine engineering operations.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships, comprising a loose section area and a main unit area, wherein the loose section area is used for connection with external equipment, and each conductive cable is separately arranged; the main unit area includes:

[0007] Multiple conductive cables are arranged in parallel rows and columns to form a cable array with a rectangular cross-section.

[0008] The cable array is provided with glue-filled constrained sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections along the length of the cable. The glue-filled constrained sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections are alternately distributed along the length of the cable, so that the cable forms a non-uniform stiffness distribution in the length of the cable.

[0009] The glue-filled constraint section forms an overall constraint structure by injecting glue material into the rectangular cable array, so that multiple conductive cables in the corresponding section form an overall constraint structure. The non-glue-filled flexible section does not undergo internal glue-filling treatment, so that the conductive cables remain relatively independent in the section.

[0010] The rectangular cable array is provided with a protective covering layer, which covers the outside of the glue-filled constrained section and the non-glue-filled flexible section.

[0011] Furthermore, the cross-sectional width-to-thickness ratio of the rectangular cable array is 1.5 to 3.0, which gives the cable different bending stiffness in the transverse and longitudinal directions, forming a two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristic.

[0012] Furthermore, the length of the glue-injection constraint section is 1 to 2 m, which is the load-bearing and molding section. The non-glue-injection flexible section serves as a bending transition section between adjacent glue-injection sections, and its length is relatively short, at 0.1 m, to provide necessary flexible buffering.

[0013] Furthermore, a foam buoyancy material is provided on the outside of the glue-filled constraint section, which is used to adjust the overall buoyancy of the cable.

[0014] Furthermore, the conductive cable is a finished cable with an external armor layer.

[0015] Furthermore, a protective covering layer is provided on the outside of the rectangular cable array. This layer is a flexible polymer protective film, which is placed between the polyurethane injection colloid and the PVC foam buoyancy material. The non-injection flexible section may or may not have a protective covering layer.

[0016] The method for manufacturing rectangular heavy-duty cables for ships includes the following steps:

[0017] S1. Conductive cable pretreatment and layout preparation: Cut multiple standard conductive cables to length and clean their surfaces to remove external surface attachments, and pre-straighten and correct the conductive cables.

[0018] S2. Rectangular cable array arrangement and positioning: Multiple pre-treated conductive cables are arranged in a predetermined row and column pattern in the forming mold. The relative positions of the conductive cables are limited and fixed by an adjustable positioning fixture, so that the multiple conductive cables form a cable array with a rectangular cross section as a whole, and the preset gap between adjacent conductive cables is controlled.

[0019] S3. Segmentation and Glue Injection Area Marking: The main unit area is segmented along the length of the rectangular cable array. The position and corresponding length of the glue injection constraint section that needs to be internally glued are pre-marked. At the same time, the segment range of the non-glue injection flexible section is determined to provide a benchmark for subsequent segmented molding.

[0020] S4. Segmented injection molding process: In the rectangular cable array, the predetermined injection constraint segments are sequentially injection treated. By injecting polyurethane elastomer into the gaps between conductive cables and the outer constraint space, multiple conductive cables in the segment form an integrally solidified constraint structure. Adjacent non-injection flexible segments are not internally injection treated, thus forming a structure in which injection constraint segments and non-injection flexible segments are alternately distributed in the length direction.

[0021] S5. Colloid Curing and Structural Stabilization: After the colloid injection process is completed, the colloid-injected sections are cured under natural or controlled conditions to enable the polyurethane elastomer to achieve the designed mechanical properties while maintaining the structural freedom of the non-colloid-injected flexible sections.

[0022] S6. External protective coating and buoyancy material composite molding: A continuous external protective coating layer is formed on the outside of the rectangular cable array after the segmented injection and curing, which is a flexible polymer protective film; and foamed buoyancy material is wrapped in the external area corresponding to the injection constraint section, so that the buoyancy material corresponds to the injection constraint section in spatial position.

[0023] Furthermore, in step S6, a protective coating layer is provided on the non-adhesive-filled flexible segment.

[0024] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0025] S7. Array Combination and Overall Cabling Processing: According to the engineering application requirements, one or more rectangular cable arrays that have completed the above steps are integrally wrapped and formed along the width direction in step S6 to form an integral rectangular heavy-duty cable with a rectangular cross-section structure.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0027] 1) By combining rectangular cable arrays with segmented glue injection structures, a non-uniform stiffness distribution is formed in the length direction of the cable, which improves the controllability of long-length cables during deployment and recycling while meeting heavy load requirements.

[0028] 2) By using a rectangular cross-section structure, the cable can form different bending stiffnesses in the transverse and longitudinal directions, creating a two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristic. This is beneficial for the cable to form regular bending and winding patterns, reducing the risk of disordered winding.

[0029] 3) By setting foam buoyancy material outside the glue-filled constraint section, the cable as a whole can be made to present a weak negative buoyancy or near-neutral buoyancy state without changing the main structure of the cable. The overall buoyancy state of the cable can be adjusted to meet the needs of different engineering applications. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cable cross-section.

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the finished cable manufacturing process.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the strain test location.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the strain test at a single point before glue injection.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the strain test at a single point after glue injection.

[0035] Figure 6 Cable manufacturing process flowchart.

[0036] In the diagram: 1. Conductive cable, 2. Polyurethane injection molding compound, 3. PVC protective film, 4. PVC foam buoyancy material, 5. Fiber optic grating test point. Detailed Implementation

[0037] A rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships includes multiple conductive cables arranged in parallel rows and columns to form a cable array structure with an overall rectangular cross-section.

[0038] The rectangular cable array has glue-filled constrained sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections along its length, which are alternately distributed to create a non-uniform stiffness distribution along the cable's length. Specifically, the glue-filled constrained sections are formed by injecting adhesive material into the rectangular cable array, creating an overall constrained structure for multiple conductive cables within the corresponding section. The non-glue-filled flexible sections do not undergo internal glue filling, allowing each conductive cable to remain relatively independent within that section, thus achieving lower local bending stiffness.

[0039] Since the cable array adopts a rectangular cross-section structure, its bending stiffness is different in the horizontal and vertical directions, thus forming a two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristic. This allows the cable to bend or roll in a predetermined direction during the laying or retrieval process, which is conducive to forming a regular winding shape.

[0040] Furthermore, a foam buoyancy material may be provided outside the glue-filling constraint section. The foam buoyancy material is used to adjust the overall buoyancy state of the cable, and preferably it is only provided outside the glue-filling constraint section.

[0041] Furthermore, the conductive cable can be a finished cable with an external armor layer to meet basic mechanical protection requirements. On this basis, a protective sheathing layer can optionally be provided on the outside of the rectangular cable array. This protective sheathing layer is at least provided on the outside of the glue-filled constrained section, while the non-glue-filled flexible section may not have the protective sheathing layer, serving to provide additional protection for the glue-filled structure and the cable array.

[0042] This embodiment provides a rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships, which is laid out in a long-scale manner along its length and is suitable for ship and marine engineering operations that require repeated deployment and retrieval.

[0043] The rectangular heavy-duty cable includes multiple standard conductive cables, wherein the conductive cable 1 is preferably a finished cable with an external armor layer.

[0044] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 As shown, there are 18 conductive cables 1. Each conductive cable has 3 cables along the width direction and 4 cables along the thickness direction. They are arranged in parallel in rows and columns to form a cable array structure with a rectangular cross-section.

[0045] In this embodiment, the gap between adjacent conductive cables is controlled within the range of 5-10mm to facilitate subsequent injection molding. A molding die and positioning fixture are provided on the outer side of the rectangular cable array to maintain the stability of the array shape during the manufacturing process.

[0046] The rectangular heavy-duty cable can be divided into a loose section area and a main unit area along its length. The loose section area is 5 m long and is used for connection to external equipment. Within this section, the conductive cables are separated and only bundled and fixed using temporary binding devices for easy termination, maintenance, or replacement. The main unit area is 200 m long and is the main working section of the cable, divided into multiple continuous unit segments along its length. In this embodiment, each unit segment is approximately 1.1 m long. The glue-filled constraint section is the main load-bearing and molding section, with a length of approximately 1 m to ensure structural integrity. The non-glue-filled flexible section serves as a bending transition section between adjacent glue-filled sections, with a relatively short length of approximately 0.1 m, providing necessary flexible buffering. The two sections are alternately arranged along the length.

[0047] The glue-filled constraint section injects a glue material - polyurethane glue 2 into the rectangular cable array, so that multiple conductive cables in the corresponding section form an overall constraint structure. The non-glue-filled flexible section does not undergo internal glue-filling treatment, so that the conductive cables remain relatively independent in the section.

[0048] The rectangular cable array is covered with a protective sheath, namely a PVC protective film 3, which covers the outside of the glued and constrained sections and the non-glued flexible sections. PVC foam buoyancy material 4 is applied to the outside of the PVC protective film 3. The foam buoyancy material is used to adjust the overall buoyancy of the cable, so that the cable exhibits weak negative buoyancy or near-neutral buoyancy underwater.

[0049] To quantitatively characterize the influence of glue-filled constraint structure on the mechanical behavior of cable bundles, a fiber optic grating strain test method was used to conduct a comparative experiment on the strain response characteristics of glue-filled and un-glue-filled cable bundles under the same loading conditions.

[0050] Several fiber optic strain sensors are arranged along the length of the outer surface of the cable bundle. The fiber optic gratings are set at different positions along the width of the cable to synchronously collect the strain changes at different positions during the loading process.

[0051] During the experiment, the strain changes of the cable bundle were collected in real time during the loading process by deploying fiber Bragg grating sensors, and the strain was calculated according to the following formula:

[0052]

[0053]

[0054] in, As the dependent variable, The current center wavelength of the sensor's reflection. The initial center wavelength after sensor installation is complete. The change in wavelength The grating strain sensitivity coefficient is 1.05. .

[0055] Experimental Group A: Multiple conductive cables are bundled together in the same quantity and arrangement. Only the lifting section is internally glued, while other parts are not internally glued. Each cable remains relatively independent.

[0056] Table 1. Results of single-point strain test on un-glued samples

[0057]

[0058] Experimental Group B: Multiple conductive cables are arranged in a rectangular array and glue is injected into the test section to form an overall constrained structure.

[0059] Table 2 Results of single-point strain test on glued samples

[0060]

[0061] The experimental results show that, under the same single-point lifting height, there are significant differences in the strain response characteristics between uninsulated and insulated cable bundles. For the uninsulated cable bundle, each conductive cable remains relatively independent during loading, and its strain response increases rapidly with increasing lifting height. Furthermore, it exhibits significantly inconsistent variation characteristics at different measuring points, indicating that this structure is prone to localized deformation concentration and overall stress dispersion during loading.

[0062] In contrast, the strain level of the glued cable bundle was generally lower under the same loading conditions, and the strain response trends at different measuring points were basically consistent, showing better consistency in mechanical response. This indicates that by applying glue to multiple conductive cables within the test section to form an overall constrained structure, the conductive cables can achieve coordinated stress distribution, effectively dispersing external loads and thus reducing the degree of local strain concentration.

[0063] Further analysis reveals that the introduction of the glue-filled constraint structure significantly alters the mechanical response of the cable bundle, resulting in higher equivalent bending stiffness during bending deformation. Conversely, un-glued cable bundles, lacking overall constraint, exhibit lower equivalent bending stiffness and are more prone to uneven bending deformation under load. Therefore, by appropriately setting glue-filled and non-glued sections along the cable length, effective control over the bending extension behavior of cable bundles can be achieved.

[0064] The glue-injected constrained section injects polyurethane elastomer into the cable array, causing the conductive cables in this section to form an overall constrained state in terms of structure, thereby exhibiting higher local bending resistance under bending loads. In contrast, the non-glue-injected flexible section does not undergo internal glue injection treatment, and the conductive cables in this section remain relatively independent. They are only organized as a whole by an external conformal coating layer, exhibiting lower local bending resistance under bending loads.

[0065] By alternating between glue-filled constrained sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections along the cable's length, the rectangular heavy-duty cable forms a periodic structure with varying mechanical properties along its length, guiding and controlling the overall bending and elongation behavior of the cable at the structural level. Furthermore, because the cable adopts a rectangular cross-section structure with a width-to-thickness ratio ranging from 1.5 to 3.0, there is a significant difference in bending stiffness between the transverse and longitudinal directions, resulting in two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristics. During deployment or retrieval, the cable can preferentially bend or coil along a predetermined direction, facilitating the formation of a regular and stable coiling pattern.

[0066] Example 1: Method for preparing a rectangular heavy-duty cable:

[0067] A method for manufacturing the rectangular heavy-duty cable includes the following steps:

[0068] S1. Conductive cable pretreatment and layout preparation:

[0069] Multiple standard conductive cables are cut to length and cleaned to remove external surface contaminants. The conductive cables are also pre-straightened and corrected to ensure the straightness and consistency of the subsequent array arrangement.

[0070] S2. Rectangular cable array layout and positioning:

[0071] Multiple pre-treated conductive cables are arranged in a predetermined row and column pattern in a forming mold. The relative positions of the conductive cables are limited and fixed by an adjustable positioning fixture, so that the multiple conductive cables form a cable array with a rectangular cross section as a whole, and the preset gap between adjacent conductive cables is controlled.

[0072] S3. Segment division and glue injection area calibration:

[0073] The main unit area is divided into sections along the length of the rectangular cable array. The positions and corresponding lengths of the glue-injection constraint sections that require internal glue injection are pre-marked, and the range of the non-glue-injection flexible sections is determined to provide a benchmark for subsequent segmented molding.

[0074] S4. Segmented injection molding process:

[0075] In the rectangular cable array, the predetermined glue-filled constraint sections are sequentially glue-filled. By injecting polyurethane elastomer into the gaps between conductive cables and the outer constraint space, multiple conductive cables in the section form an integrally solidified constraint structure. Adjacent non-glue-filled flexible sections are not internally glue-filled, thus forming a structure in which glue-filled constraint sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections are alternately distributed along the length direction.

[0076] S5. Colloidal curing and structural stabilization treatment:

[0077] After the glue injection process is completed, the glued sections are cured under natural or controlled conditions to enable the polyurethane elastomer to achieve the designed mechanical properties, while maintaining the structural freedom of the non-glue-injected flexible sections.

[0078] S6. Composite molding of external protective covering and buoyancy material:

[0079] A continuous external protective coating layer is formed on the outside of the rectangular cable array after segmented glue injection and curing. The protective coating layer is preferably a flexible polymer protective film. Foamed buoyancy material is wrapped around the external area corresponding to the glue injection constraint section so that the buoyancy material corresponds to the glue injection constraint section in spatial position.

[0080] S7. Array assembly and overall cabling process:

[0081] According to the needs of engineering applications, one or more rectangular cable arrays that have completed the above steps are integrally wrapped and shaped along the width direction to form an integral rectangular heavy-duty cable with a rectangular cross-section structure.

[0082] Through the above steps, a rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships with segmented non-uniform stiffness distribution and two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristics is obtained.

Claims

1. A rectangular heavy duty cable for marine use, characterized in that It includes a scattered segment area and a main unit area. The main unit area includes: Multiple conductive cables are arranged in parallel rows and columns to form a cable array with a rectangular cross-section. The cable array is provided with glue-filled constrained sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections along the length of the cable. The glue-filled constrained sections and non-glue-filled flexible sections are alternately distributed along the length of the cable, so that the cable forms a non-uniform stiffness distribution in the length of the cable. The glue-filled constraint section forms an overall constraint structure by injecting glue material into the rectangular cable array, thereby enabling multiple conductive cables within the corresponding section to form an integral constraint structure; the non-glue-filled flexible section does not undergo internal glue-filling treatment, allowing the conductive cables to remain relatively independent within that section. The rectangular cable array is provided with a protective covering layer, which covers the outside of the glue-insulated constrained section and the non-glue-insulated flexible section; or, the protective covering layer covers only the outside of the glue-insulated constrained section. The scattered section is used to connect to external devices, and each conductive cable is set separately from the others.

2. The rectangular heavy duty marine cable according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-sectional width-to-thickness ratio of the rectangular cable array is 1.5 to 3.0, which gives it different bending stiffness in the transverse and longitudinal directions, forming a two-dimensional heterogeneous stiffness characteristic.

3. The rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships according to claim 2, characterized in that, The glue-injection constraint section is the load-bearing and molding section, with a length of 1 to 2 m; the non-glue-injection flexible section serves as a bending transition section between adjacent glue-injection sections, with a length of 0.1 m, and is used to provide flexible buffering.

4. The rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships according to claim 3, characterized in that, The outer side of the glue-filled constraint section is provided with foam buoyancy material, which is used to adjust the overall buoyancy of the cable.

5. The rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships according to claim 4, characterized in that, The conductive cable is a finished cable with an external armor layer.

6. The rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships according to claim 5, characterized in that, The protective coating layer is a flexible polymer protective film, which is placed between the injection colloid and the foam buoyancy material.

7. The method for preparing a rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Conductive cable pretreatment and layout preparation: Cut multiple conductive cables to length and clean their surfaces to remove external surface attachments, and pre-straighten and correct the conductive cables. S2. Rectangular cable array arrangement and positioning: Multiple pre-treated conductive cables are arranged in a predetermined row and column pattern in the forming mold. The relative positions of the conductive cables are limited and fixed by an adjustable positioning fixture, so that the multiple conductive cables form a cable array with a rectangular cross-section, and the preset gap between adjacent conductive cables is controlled. S3. Segmentation and Glue Injection Area Marking: The main unit area is segmented along the length of the rectangular cable array. The position and corresponding length of the glue injection constraint section that needs to be internally glued are pre-marked. At the same time, the segment range of the non-glue injection flexible section is determined to provide a benchmark for subsequent segmented molding. S4. Segmented injection molding process: In the rectangular cable array, the predetermined injection constraint segments are sequentially injection treated. By injecting polyurethane elastomer into the gaps between conductive cables and the outer constraint space, multiple conductive cables in the segment form an integrally solidified constraint structure. Adjacent non-injection flexible segments are not internally injection treated, thus forming a structure in which injection constraint segments and non-injection flexible segments are alternately distributed in the length direction. S5. Colloid Curing and Structural Stabilization: After the colloid injection process is completed, the colloid-injected section is cured under natural or controlled conditions to enable the polyurethane elastomer to achieve the designed mechanical properties, while maintaining the structural freedom of the non-colloid-injected flexible section. S6. External protective coating and buoyancy material composite molding: A continuous external protective coating layer is formed on the outside of the rectangular cable array after the segmented injection and curing, which is a PVC protective film. Furthermore, a foamed buoyancy material is wrapped around the outer area corresponding to the glue-injected constraint section, so that the buoyancy material corresponds to the glue-injected constraint section in spatial position.

8. The method for preparing a rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step S6, a protective coating layer is provided on the non-adhesive-filled flexible section.

9. The method for preparing a rectangular heavy-duty cable for ships according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The method also includes: S7. Array Combination and Overall Cabling Processing: According to the engineering application requirements, multiple rectangular cable arrays that have completed the aforementioned steps are arranged along the width direction and then the overall wrapping and forming process of step S6 is performed to form an overall rectangular heavy-duty cable with a rectangular cross-section structure.

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