Inclined Recess Mounting Device for Cable Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting devices for elongate flexible members, such as electrical cables, fail to securely retain the cables within apertures in structures like offshore wind turbines without causing damage, especially when the cables need to pass through walls during installation.
Innovation Solution
A mounting device with an elongate body featuring internal passageways and inclined recesses with biasing means, such as springs, that engage with the aperture periphery to securely hold the device in place, allowing forward passage while preventing rearward displacement, and includes mechanisms for easy removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the mounting device body is made slightly smaller than the aperture to allow passage, then the device can be pulled through the aperture, but the device cannot be securely retained in the aperture
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement members are designed to be displaceable within inclined recesses, allowing them to dynamically adjust their position. During forward passage, they are pushed inward along the incline; during retention, they spring outward to engage the aperture periphery, providing adaptive securing
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting device is segmented into multiple engagement members distributed around the circumference, each capable of independent displacement. This segmentation allows localized engagement with the aperture periphery while maintaining overall device passage capability
2Reliability
If engagement members are designed to project beyond the outer peripheral face to engage the aperture periphery, then secure retention is achieved, but the engagement members must be prevented from leaving the recesses
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement members are given a spherical or ball-shaped geometry that matches the curved profile of the inclined recesses. This curvature allows the balls to freely displace along the incline during passage while the recess geometry naturally constrains them from escaping through the apertures
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing means (springs) are integrated into each recess to automatically push the engagement members outward toward the aperture periphery. The system self-regulates retention force without external intervention, with the springs continuously applying outward pressure to maintain engagement
3Reliability
If multiple inclined recesses are provided around the elongate body, then secure engagement with aperture periphery is achieved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Each engagement member serves multiple functions: it acts as a bearing surface during forward passage, a locking element during retention, and a friction-reducing component. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, offsetting the complexity of having multiple members
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 device ensures secure retention of elongate flexible members within apertures, reducing damage risks and facilitating easy installation and removal, while minimizing friction and ensuring reliable cable protection.
Implementation Method 1
biasing means biasing the engagement members along the recesses towards the apertures in the outer peripheral face of the elongate body
Data Source
AI summary
Mounting devices for an elongate flexible member, such as an electrical cable passing through the wall of a structure, are described. The mounting devices may include an elongate body having a longitudinal axis and elongate recesses that are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis. An internal passageway for the elongate flexible member may pass through the elongate body parallel to the longitudinal axis, and apertures corresponding to the recesses may be disposed in the outer peripheral face of the elongate body. An engagement member, such as a ball, may be mounted in each recess and move along the recess. The engagement members, recesses and the apertures may be dimensioned to allow the engagement members to project partially beyond the outer peripheral face of the elongate body but to prevent the engagement members from leaving the recesses through the apertures in the outer peripheral face of the elongate body.