Cable Tray Bracket Connector Tool-Free Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for assembling cable tray sections to their supports are inefficient, requiring tools, being costly, and failing to provide optimal resistance to static and dynamic stresses, with complex installation processes and high material costs.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a central body with tabs and grooves allows for rapid assembly of cable tray sections to a support without tools, using a central groove and peripheral grooves to secure the sections with a 90° rotation, ensuring mechanical strength and ease of manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If screw-nut type systems are used to assemble cable tray sections, then mechanical strength is improved, but assembly complexity and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing device is segmented into distinct functional elements: a central body for structural support, tabs for engagement with support openings, and grooves for cable tray section retention. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently without requiring complex fastening mechanisms like screws and nuts.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing device employs self-locking mechanisms where the tabs automatically engage with the support structure openings and the grooves retain the cable tray sections through deformation. The system serves itself by using the mechanical deformation of the cable tray wires within the grooves to create a self-retaining connection, eliminating the need for additional fastening operations.
2Reliability
If screw-nut systems are used for assembly, then connection reliability is improved, but installation time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing device is pre-configured with tabs positioned to engage with support openings and grooves shaped to receive and deform the cable tray wires. This preliminary configuration allows the device to be installed in a single operation without requiring step-by-step fastening, significantly reducing installation time while maintaining connection reliability through pre-engineered engagement geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the traditional screw-nut mechanical fastening system with a deformation-based retention system. Instead of using threaded fasteners, the grooves utilize the elastic deformation of the cable tray wires to create a secure connection, substituting a complex mechanical fastening system with a simpler deformation-based mechanism that is both faster to install and equally reliable.
3Productivity
If elastic splices are used for assembly, then assembly speed is improved, but mechanical strength under dynamic stress deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The grooves in the fixing device feature curved profiles that guide and deform the cable tray wires in a controlled manner. This curvature allows the wires to be bent into the grooves and locked in position, creating a connection that is both quick to assemble and strong enough to withstand dynamic stresses, combining the speed of elastic assembly with the strength of mechanical interlocking.
4Strength
If fishplate deformation assembly is used, then mechanical strength is improved, but assembly complexity and tool requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing device performs the deformation function itself through its pre-formed grooves, eliminating the need for external deformation tools. The tabs and grooves are designed to work together, with the tabs engaging the support and the grooves automatically deforming and retaining the cable tray wires through the assembly process, making the system self-sufficient and tool-free.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~8
Figure 4
AI summary
The device (1) has a central body (2) comprising tabs (6, 7) projecting on a side surface (5) of the body. The body is provided with a central groove (8) extending from a lower surface of the body toward an upper surface (3) of the body and traversing the side surface from a front side (A) until a rear side (B). The central body is provided with peripheral grooves (9, 10) extending from the central groove until the side surface along opposite directions. One of the grooves extends from the front side toward the rear side, and the other groove extends from the rear side toward the front side. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a cable tray (2) a method for assembling a cable tray.