Curable Polymer Cable Tray for On-Site Routing Flexibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cable tray systems are rigid and require preplanning for installation, limiting flexibility and customization, especially when routing cables around obstacles in complex installations.
Innovation Solution
The use of soft solid curable polymer strips made from thermosetting polymers that can be deployed, molded, and cured on-site to form pliable and later hardened rail sections, allowing for customizable ladder-type cable tray configurations with adjustable rungs for flexible cable management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid preconfigured cable tray units are used, then structural strength and stability are improved, but flexibility and ease of customization during installation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cable tray system transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic system where the polymer material can be deformed and shaped during installation, then locked into a fixed configuration. The pliable state allows adaptation to various routes, while the cured state provides structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The material undergoes a parameter change from pliable to hardened state through curing. This transformation allows the same material to provide both flexibility during installation and structural strength in the final configuration, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If rigid preconfigured cable tray units are used, then structural stability is improved, but ease of operation and routing flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows dynamic manipulation of the polymer material during installation, enabling easy routing around obstacles. Once installed, the material stabilizes into a fixed configuration that provides structural stability, thus achieving both ease of operation and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer material undergoes a phase transition from a pliable state during installation to a hardened state after curing. This phase change enables the material to be easily shaped and routed initially, then locks into a stable configuration that provides structural stability.
3Reliability
If traditional metal cable tray units are used, then durability and strength are improved, but manufacturing complexity and preplanning requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The polymer material undergoes parameter changes through curing to achieve a durable, rigid final structure. This eliminates the need for complex metal fabrication and assembly, simplifying both manufacturing and installation while maintaining durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of thermosetting polymer provides a composite material solution that combines the durability of rigid structures with the fabrication simplicity of plastic materials, eliminating the complexity associated with metal cable trays while maintaining reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates on-site fabrication and customization of cable trays, improving flexibility and ease of installation while reducing storage and transportation complexities, enabling efficient routing of cables around obstacles with adjustable configurations.
Implementation Method 1
The thermosetting material can next be cured to produce two hardened rail section intercommoned by rungs in the form of a ladder type cable tray
Data Source
AI summary
A cable tray of the ladder type configuration can be fabricated from soft solid curable polymer strips comprised of a thermosetting material. The curable polymer strips in a pliable state may be wound into strip rolls for storage and transportation to the installation site. At the installation site, the soft solid curable polymer strips can be deployed, molded into pliable formed rail sections, and transversely connected together by a plurality of rungs. The curing process can be completed by, for example, exposing the thermosetting material to a ultraviolet or visible light source to produce hardened rail sections of the ladder type cable tray.