Fire-Resistant Connection Device for Flat Cables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical cables and connection devices fail to maintain functional integrity during a fire due to insulation melting or burning, leading to short circuits and loss of functionality in critical emergency systems like smoke extraction fans and emergency lighting in large buildings and ships.
Innovation Solution
A connection device for flat cables with high-current wires that uses pairs of contact screws with threads to securely grip the conductors without stripping insulation, ensuring cohesion even when the cable insulation burns off, combined with fire-resistant insulating materials and designs that prevent short circuits and mechanical stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cable insulation is used, then the cable is easy to manufacture and install, but the insulation melts or burns off under fire conditions causing short circuits and loss of functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The connection device is divided into multiple contact screws (at least two per conductor) that independently clamp the conductor from different sides. This segmentation ensures that if one contact fails under thermal stress, other contacts maintain electrical connectivity, thereby preserving functional integrity during fire conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
Fire-resistant insulating materials are selectively applied at critical locations where short circuits could occur, such as between adjacent conductors and at connection points. This localized application of special materials maintains reliability without requiring the entire cable system to be redesigned with fire-resistant properties.
2Reliability
If special fire-resistant equipment and core insulation are used to avoid short circuits, then functional integrity during fire is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact screws serve multiple functions: they provide electrical contact, mechanical clamping force, and fire-resistant insulation support. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, thereby maintaining reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of protecting the insulation to prevent conductor contact, the invention inverts the approach by using fire-resistant materials to protect the connection points and support structures, allowing the insulation to fail while maintaining electrical connectivity through the insulated contact screws.
3Reliability
If conventional connection devices are used, then installation is simple, but they fail to maintain electrical contact when cable insulation burns off
Solution Approach 1:
The contact screws are pre-configured with fire-resistant insulating materials and positioned to clamp conductors before fire exposure. This preliminary preparation ensures that when fire occurs, the electrical contact is already secured and maintained, eliminating the need for complex real-time adjustments during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
Fire-resistant insulating materials act as intermediaries between the metal contact screws and the environment, providing thermal protection while maintaining electrical conductivity. This intermediary layer allows simple installation procedures to achieve reliable fire-resistant connections without requiring complex specialized tools or techniques.
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
The solution maintains electrical contact and prevents short circuits during a fire, ensuring the functional integrity of electrical installations by using threaded contact screws and fire-resistant materials to secure the connection and prevent conductor contact with adjacent wires or the metal cage.
Implementation Method 1
The contact screws have a thread so that the conductor is squeezed laterally by the two contact screws with the threads
Implementation Method 2
fire-resistant insulating materials and designs that prevent short circuits
Data Source
AI summary
A fire-resistant connection device (12) serves for the stripping-free tapping of a flat cable (1) with several high-voltage conductors (2) running parallel to each other in a plane and spaced apart. It encompasses the flat cable (1) and has contact screws (13a, 13b) that can be screwed into the flat cable (1), with one pair of contact screws (13a, 13b) being provided for each of the high-voltage conductors. The two contact screws (13a, 13b) of a pair are arranged such that, when the flat cable (1) is connected, one contact screw (13a) contacts one side of the conductor (3) of the high-voltage conductor (2) and the other contact screw (13b) contacts the other side of the conductor (3) of the high-voltage conductor (2). The contact screws (13a, 13b) have a thread (15) so that the conductor (3) is clamped laterally by the two contact screws (13a, 13b) with the threads (15).