Horizontal Cable Tray Redirector Assembly Without Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable tray redirectors require welding, which is time-consuming and unsuitable for facilities with seismic restrictions or nuclear power plants, and they often involve expensive manufacturing processes and bulky components.
Innovation Solution
The development of non-welded cable tray redirectors that use the same bolts and nuts as standard cable tray connections, eliminating the need for welding and allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, while maintaining electrical conductivity and enabling 90-degree cable redirection in a horizontal plane.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used to manufacture cable tray redirectors, then structural strength and robustness are improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase, and seismic restrictions are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The redirector is divided into multiple separable components (base component, redirector component, fastening component) that can be manufactured independently without welding, then assembled using mechanical fasteners. This segmentation eliminates welding time while maintaining structural integrity through precision-machined mating surfaces and secure fastening mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The welding process is replaced with a mechanical assembly system using precision-machined components and fasteners. The base component and redirector component feature complementary geometric profiles that provide rigid mechanical connection, substituting the thermal-joining welding process with a cold-formed mechanical assembly approach that reduces manufacturing time and eliminates seismic code violations.
2Strength
If welding is used to manufacture cable tray redirectors, then structural robustness is improved, but cost and suitability for nuclear facilities are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the redirector into pre-manufactured components (base component with mounting surfaces, redirector component with cable guidance features, fastening component with standardized fasteners), the design eliminates expensive welding operations and specialized fabrication processes, reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining robustness through precision machining and secure mechanical assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The redirector components are designed with standardized mounting interfaces and geometric profiles that can be universally applied across different cable tray configurations and locations. This universality eliminates the need for custom welding operations at each installation site, reducing both manufacturing cost and complexity while ensuring consistent structural robustness throughout the facility.
3Productivity
If non-welded components are used, then assembly time and cost are reduced, but electrical conductivity and grounding may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The base component and redirector component are designed with integrated electrical grounding features, including conductive mounting surfaces and embedded grounding lugs that maintain electrical continuity across the mechanical joint. This segmentation approach allows rapid assembly while ensuring reliable electrical conductivity and proper grounding for cable tray systems in electrical facilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The redirector components are manufactured from electrically conductive materials (such as aluminum or steel alloys) that provide both structural integrity and electrical conductivity. The composite design incorporates conductive fasteners and mounting surfaces that ensure continuous electrical pathways, maintaining grounding reliability while enabling quick non-welded assembly.
4Adaptability or versatility
If traditional redirector designs are used, then cable redirection functionality is achieved, but storage and shipping volume are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The redirector component is designed to nest within or alongside the base component when not in use, creating a compact stacked configuration. This nesting arrangement significantly reduces storage volume and simplifies shipping, while the components maintain their full cable redirection functionality when assembled and installed in the field.
Data Source
AI summary
Improved design of cable tray redirector components speeds assembly and connection of cable trays. More efficiently manufactured, universal components needed throughout horizontal redirectors of a specific size and type cable tray run reduce the overall total items and cost of inventory. The improvement is in part the elimination of welding cable redirector components in favor of connecting the components with bolts and nuts in the field. The inventory and shipment of individual parts is substantially more efficient because the new components “nest” efficiently prior to assembly. Moreover, components are designed to minimize the number of bolts and nuts used without jeopardizing strength. The use of bolts and nuts to fasten the components also enables good electrical conductivity for effective electrical grounding of the assembled cable tray system.