Coiled Wire Armored Cable Rodent Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical transmission cables are vulnerable to rodent damage during field operations, leading to costly and time-consuming repairs due to existing protective methods that increase weight and reduce flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A coiled wire armored cable with a malleable metal protective wire spirally wound around the exterior insulation, with spaced coils to prevent rodent gnawing while maintaining flexibility and minimizing weight gain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If protective wire is completely coiled around the cable to prevent rodent damage, then rodent protection is improved, but cable weight increases and flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective wire is not continuously coiled around the cable but is segmented into discrete coils spaced apart along the cable length. This segmentation provides rodent protection at critical points while eliminating the need for continuous coverage, thereby reducing overall material usage and cable weight while maintaining effective protection against rodent gnawing.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying protective wire completely and continuously around the entire cable (excessive action), the invention applies protective wire partially at strategically spaced intervals. This partial action is sufficient to deter rodents from gnawing through the cable while avoiding the unnecessary weight and flexibility loss that would result from complete continuous coverage.
2Reliability
If protective wire is completely coiled around the cable to prevent rodent damage, then rodent protection is improved, but cable flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective wire is segmented into discrete coils spaced apart along the cable rather than forming a continuous rigid enclosure. This segmentation allows the cable to bend and flex between the coil sections while still providing effective rodent protection at the coiled segments, thereby maintaining cable flexibility and ease of installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies protective action partially through spaced coils rather than completely through continuous coiling. This partial application is sufficient to protect against rodent damage while avoiding the excessive restriction of cable flexibility that would result from complete continuous coiling, thus maintaining ease of cable handling and installation.
3Ease of operation
If protective wire is spaced apart in coils, then cable flexibility and portability are improved, but rodent protection may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The protective wire coils are strategically positioned at local intervals along the cable where rodent access and gnawing are most likely to occur. This local quality approach concentrates protection at critical points rather than uniformly distributing it, ensuring effective rodent deterrence while maintaining cable flexibility in the spaces between coils.
Solution Approach 2:
The spaced coil configuration applies protective action partially at strategic intervals rather than completely and continuously. This partial application is sufficient to prevent rodent damage by creating deterrent barriers at key locations while preserving cable flexibility and portability that would be lost with complete continuous coiling.
Data Source
AI summary
The coiled wire armored cable (10) includes transmission wires (14) encased by an insulator (12). A solid protective wire (16) is spirally wound over the exterior of the insulator. The protective wire (16) is fabricated from a metal, such as steel or titanium material, and will have a gauge that prevents a rodent from chewing through the wire. The coils of the protective wire are spaced apart along the length of the cable. The spacing (a) of the coils will be less than the width of the teeth of the rodent so that the coils create a “fence” that prevents the rodent's teeth from contacting the insulator.